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62 d Congress, ) HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, j Report 
2d Session. j (No. 84a 


‘tsy 


IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


June 5. 11)12.— Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the state ©I 
the Cnion and ordered to he printed. 


U,*i. 

Mr. Sulzer, from the Committee on Foreign Affairs, submitted the 

following 


REPORT. 

LTo accompany H. It. 20044.] 

The Committee on Foreign Affairs, to whom was referred the bill 
(H. R. 20044) entitled “A bill for the improvement of the foreign 
service,” having had the same under consideration, reports it favor¬ 
ably and recommends that the bill without amendment do pass. 

This bill gives legislative approval to accomplish results brought 
about by Executive orders. It is a step forward in the right direc¬ 
tion and along constitutional lines. The value of the foreign service 
to the Government, to American commerce, and to the individual 
citizen is now recognized and can not be gainsaid. It is no longer 
merely political, but it has become to a large extent an efficient non- 
partisan instrument for the expanision of American commerce and 
the extension of American enterprise, securing for American com¬ 
mercial interests fair and equal trade opportunity with the peoples 
of other countries, and it assures to the individual citizen the protec¬ 
tion of his rights the w T orld over. It is through its agency that thf 
entire business of the Government in its relations with other Govern¬ 
ments is conducted, and for every dollar expended for the foreign 
service the people of the United States receive directly or indirectly 
one hundred for one in return. 

The bill is in harmony with the disposition manifest throughout 
the country to improve the machinery of government and raise the 
standard of efficiency on the part of officers and employees. It was 
prepared and introduced in response to a strong public opinion and 
an insistent demand upon the part of commercial organizations and 
business men of the country that the American Diplomatic and Con¬ 
sular Service shall be brought to the highest practicable standard of 
efficiency. In this connection it is proper to say that much has been 

I.-. 






2 


IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


done by Executive order to provide a system by which the qualifica¬ 
tion of candidates for appointment in the foreign service shall be 
tested by thorough and impartial examinations. Copies of these 
Executive orders and other data relating to the same are hereto 
attached and made a part of this report. 

The first object sought to be accomplished in the bill is the 

APPOINTMENT TO GRADES INSTEAD OF TO PLACES. 

The appointment of a secretary in the Diplomatic Service or of a 
consular officer to a grade instead of a place would make him trans¬ 
ferable instantly by the Executive to any post in the grade to which 
he has been appointed. This would bring into the service an element 
of elasticity which it does not now possess and which is of the highest 
importance if the service is to fulfill its mission to the greatest degree 
of efficiency. In accordance with the public needs, the secretaries 
of the Diplomatic Service and the consular officers would then be 
instantly assignable, like the officers of the Army and Navy. At 
present the salary attaches to the office but not to the man. For ex¬ 
ample, if a consulate ceases to be necessary the President may close 
it, but he can not use the consul at another place, where a consul may 
be of the utmost importance, until Congress shall have enacted suit¬ 
able legislation creating a consulate at that place. Also, an embassy 
may be temporarily overworked, but under the existing system a 
secretary can not be detached from another diplomatic post and as¬ 
signed for the time being to the busy embassy. Section 1 of this 
bill is intended to remove this obstacle by authorizing the appoint¬ 
ment of officers to grades and permitting the salaries to attach to 
the grades instead of to the place to which the officer may be assigned. 

This provision does not purpose to limit the authority either of the 
President or of Congress, but merely seeks to substitute for the 
present cumbersome and awkward system a method by which the 
officers of the foreign service may instantly respond to the public 
needs and to the ever-changing political and commercial conditions 
abroad. The adoption of the first section of this bill would stimulate 
efficiency, and would involve no greater if as great expense to the 
Government, and would relieve Congress of many unnecessary details 
of legislation. 

The second important object that will be accomplished by this 
bill is the 

GRADING OF SECRETARIES IN THE DIPLOMATIC SERVICE. 

This section is, of course, indispensable if the first section of the 
bill, with reference to appointments to grades, is enacted. More¬ 
over, there is another important reason in support of this provision. 
The same lack of system prevails to-day in the Diplomatic Service 
in respect to grades, th*t, prior to the act of 1906, existed in the 
Consular Service. A secretary is assigned to a post which has no 
fixed relation to any other place. When he is transferred to another 
post he merely vacates one post and accepts appointment to another. 
Under these Circumstances regulations regarding promotion for 
efficiency do not have the effect on the men in the service which other¬ 
wise they would have were the officers graded as they are in the Con- 


3 


’ • IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 

sular Service. In order that the full benefit of the principle of 
• promotion for efficiency may be realized, it is necessary that the 
officers shall be classified and graded by law, so that every member 
of the service shall have a correct understanding of the relation of 
- the various offices and of their relative importance. 

The third object to be accomplished by this measure is to give 
t\ legislative approval to the existing system of 

DETERMINING THE FITNESS OF CANDIDATES FOR APPOINTMENT TO THE 
DIPLOMATIC AND CONSULAR SERVICE BY EXAMINATION. 

Nothing has brought about so great a change in the foreign service 
as the Executive orders requiring candidates to be examined as to 
their fitness for appointment by undergoing a thorough and im¬ 
partial examination. The men appointed as a result of these ex¬ 
aminations have been of a far higher average ability than in the 
past. The appointments have been distributed over a larger number 
of States than heretofore. For instance, the representation in the 
South was 51 in 190G; in 1912 it was 103, showing that a large num¬ 
ber of Southerners were appointed. A great increase in appoint¬ 
ments is also shown from States in other parts of the country which 
were until recently with little or no representation. The new system 
is gradually operating to give the United States a foreign-service 
representative of the whole country instead of small sections of the 
country. The establishment of efficiency records and the adoption 
of the principle of promotion on merit alone have brought about an 
activity and efficiency hitherto unknown in our foreign service. 

But it may be asked why, if the President has the power already 
to accomplish these things, Congress should be asked to legislate 
upon the subject? The object of everyone in favor of this bill is 
to render the existing system of appointments and promotions as 
permanent as possible. The enactment of this bill into law, even 
though it does not purport to be mandatory upon the President, 
would give to the present system far greater stability and perniK 
nency than it could possess as an act of the President alone. The 
formal approval of this system by action of Congress, backed by 
the strong public opinion which has centered about this bill, would 
be of enormous assistance to any President in upholding and con¬ 
tinuing the application of the merit principle to the foreign service. 

There can be no question about the constitutionality of the 
measure, since it in nowise purports to direct the President as to what 
he shall do. The obligation imposed upon the Secretary of State 
to discharge certain duties of an administrative character, and the 
constitution of two boards of examiners with specified duties, are 
beyond question within the power of Congress. The enactment of 
this bill will go a long way toward enabling future Presidents and 
Secretaries of State to discharge their duties in connection with 
foreign intercourse and the development of commerce in a 
thoroughly efficient manner. 

NONPARTISAN STEPS TOWARD GREATER EFFICIENCY. 

In 1855 an act was passed attempting to grade the posts in the 
foreign service and provide administrative rules and safeguards. 
The act was so imperfect in a number of parts that it was reenacted 


4 


IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


in modified form in 1856, but in no way did it touch the fitness of the 
personnel of the service. From 1856 to 1895 appointments to foreign 
service continued to be made for political and other considerations, 
with no attempt whatever to determine the qualifications of the persons 
appointed. In 1895, toward the close of his second administration, 
President Cleveland, by Executive order promulgated regulations 
under which candidates for the lower grades of the Consular Service 
should be examined to test their qualifications for appointment. 
These regulations were imperfect and made no attempt to regulate 
appointments to the higher grades of the service, which were left 
open, as formerly, to candidates able to bring forward sufficient 
political influence. Imperfect as they Avere these regulations were 
applied strictly until the close of the administration. 

When Mr. McKinley became President there Avas the usual pres¬ 
sure brought to bear for foreign-seiwice appointments, AA T ith the result 
that from March 4, 1897, to November 1, 1898, it has been stated that 
238 out of a total of 272 members of the Consular Ser\uce had been 
recalled and their places filled by nevr men. The examination regu¬ 
lations were nominally in force, but the examination in fact Avas little 
more than a form. 

By this time the value of consular activity to the export trade of 
the country had come to be realized and commercial bodies and 
business men began to shoAV an interest in the improvement of the 
foreign service. As far back as 1895 Senator Morgan, of Alabama, 
had introduced a bill to classify and grade the posts in the foreign 
serA 7 ice and to apply civil-service principles to the selection and 
appointment of officers. Similar bills were introduced at almost 
eA T ery session of Congress thereafter, and each year the movement 
made great gains, both in the number and the character of the people 
furthering it. 

When Elihu Root became Secretary of State, in 1905, one of his 
first acts was to draft, in collaboration with Senator Lodge, a bill to 
classify and grade the Consular Service, to apply ci\ T il-service prin¬ 
ciples to the selection, appointment, and promotion of officers, and, 
among other things, to establish a system of periodical inspection of 
all offices in the Consular Service. This measure Avas strongly sup¬ 
ported by commercial bodies, newspapers, and magazines throughout 
the country and was finally enacted into law, minus the provisions 
regulating selection, appointment, and promotion of officers. 

President Roosevelt, by Executive order, promptly promulgated 
regulations similar to those omitted from the act, and therefore, 
since June 27, 1906, the Consular Service has been administered in an 
entirely nonpartisan manner and according to the strict principles of 
the merit system. 

Later, soon after the beginning of his administration, President 
Taft, by Executive order, applied similar rules and regulations to 
the secretaryships in the Diplomatic Service. Civil-service principles 
haA^e, therefore, governed the administration of the entire foreign 
service, with the exception of the heads of missions, since the autumn 
of 1909. 

MERITS OF THE BILL. 

The great merit of this bill is the fact that it embodies something 
which removes the constitutional difficulty that has wrecked all of 
those bills which have been put forward for so many years at the 


IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


5 


request of the commercial and manufacturing interests. This bill 
does not attempt to raise the difficult constitutional question by try¬ 
ing absolutely to tie the hands of the appointing power. It relies on 
the tremendous public opinion in this country of all the business 
interests, who know we must have an efficient and experienced for¬ 
eign service, and upon the fact that we are not likely to have any 
Presidents who will wish to go back to an inefficient loreign service 
to handicap our country’s trade and commerce. 

The enactment of the Sulzer bill (H. R. 20044) insures: 

That the consideration of the political affiliations of candidates 
would be prohibited. 

That the successful passing of the prescribed examinations would 
be legally recognized as a prerequisite for foreign-service appoint¬ 
ments. 

That efficiency is the only basis for promotion. 

That the special efficiency of diplomatic secretaries, of consular 
officers, of departmental officers and employees, and of all persons 
who have passed the prescribed examinations would be brought to the 
attention of the President when recommendations for initial appoint¬ 
ments, promotions, and transfers are submitted to him. 

That efficiency records would be kept of diplomatic secretaries, of 
consular officers, and of officers and clerks of the Department of 
State. 

That the proportional representation of the several States and Ter 
ritories in the foreign service would be published at the close of each 
examination. 

That diplomatic secretaries and consuls would be appointed to 
grades instead of to specified posts. 

That orderly promotion would be made possible by the grading of 
diplomatic secretaryships. 

That the scope and frequency of examinations would be legally 
established. 

That the examining boards would be legally established. 

That the reports of the examining boards would be in writing and 
would be published. 

That the constitutional provision requiring the concurrence of the 
Senate to make the appointment of diplomatic and consular officers 
effective would not be changed. 

As a matter of fact, all that this bill does is to perpetuate and give 
the mandate of law to the existing methods of examination, and also 
to the keeping of efficiency records, and to make it mandatory upon 
the Secretary of State to report to the President, from time to time, 
after examinations, the names and records of those whom the ex¬ 
amination shows to be fitted for appointment as secretary of embassy 
or legation, or to a consular post, or as a student interpreter, or as a 
consular assistant, and the names and records of those in the service 
whose efficiency records will show that they are in line for promotion. 

Stopping there, this bill relies upon the moral effect of the backing 
of the business interests of the whole country, who realize the im¬ 
portance of a trained foreign service, and upon the moral force of 
this mandate from Congress, to hold up the hands of any President 
against pressure and make it easier for him to continue to run the 
service on a strictly merit principle and to its maximum efficiency. 


6 IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 

Opinion of the Solicitor for the Department of State. 

[Dated March 13, 1912.] 

Section 1 of Mr. Sulzer’s bill (H. E. 20044) provides: 

That the President may make all appointments of secretaries in the Dip¬ 
lomatic Service and of consuls general and consuls to grades instead of to 
places, subject to the advice and consent of the Senate in each case. 

The section of the Constitution of the United States providing for 
the appointment of officers in the Diplomatic and Consular Service 
reads as follows: 

The President * * * shall nominate, and by and with the advice and 

consent of the Senate, shall appoint ambassadors, other public ministers and 
consuls, judges of the Supreme Court, and all other officers of the United 
States whose appointment is not herein otherwise provided for and which shall 
be established by law; but the Congress may by law vest the appointment of 
such inferior officers as they think proper in the President alone, in the courts 
of law, or in the heads of departments. (Art. II, sec. 2.) 

It is to be noted that Mr. Sulzer’s bill is not an effort on the part of 
Congress to hamper or control the President’s constitutional power of 
appointment. It provides that the President may make appoint¬ 
ments of certain officers in the Diplomatic and Consular Service to 
grades instead of to places, and does not purport to be in any sense 
mandatory upon the President. 

It does not raise the constitutional question whether Congress has 
the power to compel the President to make appointments of secre¬ 
taries in the Diplomatic Service and of consuls general and consuls 
to grades instead of to places subject to the advice and consent of the 
Senate; it does not raise the question whether the President has this 
power irrespective of congressional authorization; nor does it raise 
the question whether this is a matter for consideration alone of the 
President and the Senate. It does not purport to be more than an 
expression by Congress to the effect that it will not object to the 
President’s nominating these officers in the future to grades instead of 
to places. It is the establishment of a method that should be estab¬ 
lished by common consent of both the President and Congress, for 
while, as Attorney General Cushing says, the President has power 
by the Constitution to appoint diplomatic agents of the United States 
of any rank at any place and at any time in his discretion, subject 
only to the constitutional condition of the relation to the Senate, yet 
it would be very difficult for the President otherwise to break away 
from the established practice under which for years he and his prede¬ 
cessors have been expected by Congress to make appointments. 
Any change in this respect should come by general consent. If con¬ 
gressional authorization for the change is necessary it is here given; 
if it is not necessary then this is an indication on the part of both 
Houses of Congress of their approval of a change in the long-estab¬ 
lished manner of making appointments. 

In acts of Congress relating to our Diplomatic and Consular Serv¬ 
ice there appear to be precedents for the action contemplated by 
section 1 of Mr. Sulzer’s bill. In expressing his opinion of that pro¬ 
vision in the act of 1855, entitled “An act to remodel the diplomatic 
and consular systems of the United States,” which provides that 
“ the President shall appoint no other than citizens of the United 
States who are residents thereof or abroad in the employment of the 
Government at the time of their appointment.” Attorney General 
Cushing asserted that this, like some other things in the act, must be 


IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


i 


deemed directory or recommendatory only and not mandatory, as the 
limit of the range of selection for the appointment of constitutional 
officers depends on the Constitution. It may, however, be observed 
that as a matter of practice the President appears generally to have 
appointed only citizens to such offices, at least to the diplomatic and 
principal consular offices. 

The act of Congress approved April 5, 1906, authorized the Presi¬ 
dent, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, to appoint 
five consuls general at large with power in the President to assign 
these officers to duty in any part of the world where the public inter¬ 
ests require. The President may authorize any consul general at 
large to suspend the consul or consul general and administer the of¬ 
fice in his stead. 

In enacting this legislation providing that the President might ap¬ 
point these consular officers to the grade of consuls general at large, 
Congress appears to have done the precise thing which is provided 
for in section 1 of Mr. Sulzer’s bill. 

Table showing present apportionment of diplomatic and consular appointments 

by States and Territories. 


State. 


Diplomatic. 


Consular. 



Due. 

Actual. 

Due. 

Actual. 

Alabama . 

2.48 


8.51 

3 


.11 


.37 

.74 


Arizona . 

.22 


1 

Arkansas . 

1.84 


6.29 


California . 

2.81 
.97 

4 

9.62 

14 

rin]nrarln ..... 


3.33 

2 

P.on n action t . 

1.30 


4.44 

7 

Delaware ..... 

.22 

1 

.74 


District of Columbia. 

.43 

9 

1.48 

16 

Florida . 

.87 


2.96 

1 

frpnrpia . 

3.02 

. 

• 10.36 

4 

Hawaii ..... 

.22 


.74 

1 

J H ah o . 

.43 


1.48 

1 

Illinois ..... 

| 6.59 

9 

22.57 

23 

Indiana............ 

3.13 

2 

10.73 

11 


2.59 

1 

8.88 

11 

Kansas....... 

1.94 

1 

6.66 

4 

TCantimlrv ... 

2. 70 

3 

9.25 

5 

Louisiana....-. 

1.94 

4 

6.66 

3 

Maine..... 

.80 

1 

2.96 

6 

Maryland........... 

1.51 

4 

5.18 

8 

M fissaph li sfitt.s . .. . 

4.00 

7 

13.69 

22 

\f ipti i pnn . . 

3.24 

2 

11.10 

10 

Minnp^nta . .- . 

2. 48 

3 

8.51 

9 

Mississippi. 

2.05 

2 

7.03 

3 

Missouri.. 

3.89 

3 

13.32 

13 

M on tan a . 

.43 


1.48 

1 

XJAPro qIto . 

1.40 


4.81 

5 

Mpvadfi . . 

.11 

1 

.37 


New Hampshire. 

.54 

1 

1.85 

4 

ISJpw Jpxsp.v . 

3.02 

2 

10.36 

6 

Wpuf \fpvirn . 

.43 


1.48 

3 

isjpw York' . 

10.69 

16 

36.63 

35 

Knrth Parnliti/i . . 

2.59 


8.88 

5 

Mnrth PalrfttJi . . 

.65 


2.22 

2 


5.62 

5 

19.24 

26 

Olrluhomfi . 

1.94 


6.66 

3 

O tp cron . 

.76 


2.59 

3 

Pprmsvlvania . 

8.96 

10 

30.71 

28 

■Rhnrip Inland . 

.65 

2 

2.22 

3 

Snnth Carol in a . 

1.73 

1 

5.92 

8 

ftnnth Dakota ... . 

.65 

1 

2. 22 

2 

TonnoQQPP . . 

2.59 


8.88 

9 


4.54 

1 

15.54 

3 


.43 


1.48 

1 


.43 

1 

1.48 

4 


2.38 

4 

8.14 

9 

Wachin pton 

1.30 

4 

4.44 

3 

WpqI V ircnnia . . 

1.40 

1 

4.81 

5 


2.70 


9.25 

9 


.22 

1 

.74 


































































































IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


3 


The bill is as follows: 


IH. R. 20044, Sixty-second Congress, second session.] 

A BILL For the improvement of the foreign service. 

Be it enacted by the Senate and Houpe of Representatives of the United 
States of America in Congress assembled, That the President may make all 
appointments of secretaries in the Diplomatic Service and of consuls general 
and consuls to grades instead of to places, subject to the advice and consent of 
ilie Senate in each case. 

Sec. 2. That the Secretary of State is directed to report from time to time 
to the President, along with his recommendations for promotion, or for transfer 
between the department and the foreign service, the names of those secretaries 
in the Diplomatic Service and the names of those consular officers or depart¬ 
mental officers or employees who, by reason of efficient service, an accurate 
record of which shall he kept in the Department of State, have demonstrated 
special efficiency, and also the names of persons found upon examination to 
have fitness for appointment to the lower grades of the service. 

Sec. 3. That the secretaryships in the Diplomatic Service are hereby graded 
and classified as follows: ('lass one, three thousand dollars, secretaries of em¬ 
bassy; class two, two thousand six hundred and twenty-five dollars, secretaries 
of legation; class three, two thousand dollars, secretaries of legation and 
second secretaries of embassy; class four, one thousand eight hundred dollars, 
second secretaries of legation; class five, one thousand two hundred dollars, 
third secretaries of embassy or legation. 

Sec. 4. That the board of examiners for the Diplomatic Service shall be com¬ 
posed of an Assistant Secretary of State, the chief examiner of the Civil Service 
Commission or such other officer as that commission shall designate, a law 
officer of the Department of State, and one other officer to be designated by the 
Secretary of State. The board of examiners for the Consular Service shall be 
composed of the officer charged with the administration of the Consular Service, 
the Chief of the Consular Bureau, the Chief of the Bureau of Trade Delations, 
and the chief examiner of the Civil Service Commission or such other officer 
as that commission shall designate. 

Sf.c. 5. That the scope and method of the examinations shall be determined 
by the boards of examiners, but the examinations shall include business experi¬ 
ence and ability, the resources and commerce of the United States, with special 
reference to the development of export trade, international, commercial, and 
maritime law and history, American history, government, and institutions, and 
one language other than English. These examinations shall be held at least 
once annually, and shall he conducted with strict impartiality, and without 
.regard to the political or other affiliations of any candidate; and upon their 
conclusion the boards of examiners shall certify in writing to the Secretary of 
State the names of those persons whom they have found to be, in their judg¬ 
ment, thoroughly well qualified for the Diplomatic or Consular Services; and 
the report of the board shall be made public; and the Secretary of State shall 
at the same time make a public statement of the proportional representation of 
the different States and Territories in the foreign service. 

Sec. 6 . That this act shall take effect immediately. 

THE HEARINGS ON THE BILL. 

The extended hearings held by the committee produced overwhelm¬ 
ing evidence in favor of this measure. No one appeared to oppose 
the bill. There can be no question as to the overwhelming sentiment 
the business interests of the country and the people generally in 
favor of this reform. 

Mr. E. Clarence Jones, president of the American Embassy Asso¬ 
ciation, of New York City, made the following concise statement: 

We favor the Sulzer bill. There is no question in the minds of anyone, or 
m the opinion of our organization at least, that the merit system is the only 
system that should obtain and the only system under which our commercial 
interests will be properly looked after. 


IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


9 


\. o receive letters from «i 11 over the world, and in coming over i have selected 
a few those recently received on this subject. They are l'resh from our rep¬ 
resentatives, they show how a man on the ground feels, and 1 think they will 
prove interesting reading. 

I will read you extracts from a letter from a Chinese post: 

“ 1 aote that the scope of your activity is to he extended, and l hope that some 
attention will he given to the question of placing the Consular Sen ice upon a 
merit basis. I am very sure that the efficiency of this branch of the Govern¬ 
ment will be greatly increased as soon as a law is passed which will provide 
for the appointment of only those persons who have passed an examination in 
commercial and other subjects and which will assure those who have already 
passed such an examination that their services will be retained as long as they 
maintain a high standard. There are many desirable men who would join a 
permanent Consular Service and many valuable men who have resigned our 
service because they could see in it no promising future.” 

Now, that is typical of the letters we receive, and the man on the spot best 
knows the situation. 

The merit system, as outlined in Congressman Sulzer's bill 20041, is unques¬ 
tionably the only system under which to obtain efficiency. 

Now, gentlemen, the merit system, if it is established—and it certainly will 
be ultimately—will do much to alleviate all these troubles. Men will be sent 
to posts that they are competent to till, and will be retained as long as they 
show efficiency, and the commercial interests of the country will be very much 
benefited thereby. 

Statement, before the committee, of Wilbur J. Carr. Director of 
Consular Service: 

Mr. Carr. Mr. Chairman, is there any particular way in which you would 
like to have me take up this measure? 

The Chairman. Yes: take it up in your own way. 

Mr. Garner. I do not suppose you would mind expressing your opinion as to 
the constitutionality of the bill before you start in? 

Mr. Carr. I have no doubt in my mind about the constitutionality of the 
Sulzer bill. 

Mr. Garner. That it is constitutional? 

Mr. Carr. It is constitutional. It seems to me perfectly unobjectionable on 
constitutional grounds. We favor it for that reason. 

Attempts to reorganize the Diplomatic and Consular Service and place the 
appointments upon a merit basis have been made from time to time since the 
beginning of our Government. Aside from the occasional appropriation of 
salaries for additional posts and the enactment of statutes to correct adminis¬ 
trative evils. Congress gave practically no aid in the building up of an adequate 
foreign service, and all of the improvements effected prior to 1855 were effected 
by Executive action. 

In 1855 an act was passed attempting to grade the posts in the foreign service 
and provide administrative rules and safeguards. The act was so imperfect 
in a number of parts that it was reenacted in modified form in 1856, but in no 
way did it touch the fitness of the personnel of the service. From 1856 to 
1895 appointments to the foreign service continued to be made for political 
and other considerations, with no attempt whatever to determine the qualifica¬ 
tions of the persons appointed. In 1895, toward the close of his second 
administration, President Cleveland, by Executive order, promulgated regula¬ 
tions under which candidates for the lower grades of the Consular Service 
should be examined to test their qualifications for appointment. These regula¬ 
tions were imperfect and made no attempt to regulate appointments to the 
higher grades of the service, which were left open, as formerly, to candidates 
able to bring forward sufficient political influence. Imperfect as they were, 
these regulations were applied strictly until the close of the administration. 

When Mr. McKinley became President, there was the usual pressure brought 
to bear for foreign-service appointments, with the result that from March 4. 
1897, to November 1, 1898, it has been stated that 238 out of a total of 272 
members of the Consular Service had been recalled and their places filled 
by new men. The examination regulations were nominally in force, but the 
examination in fact was little more than a form. 

Ily this time the value of consular activity to the export trade of the country 
had come to be realized and commercial bodies and business men began to 
show an interest in the improvement of the foreign service. As far back as 


10 


IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


3895 Senator Morgan, of Alabama, had introduced a bill to classify and grade 
the posts in the foreign service and to apply civil-service principles to the 
selection and appointment of officers. Similar bills were introduced at almost 
every session of Congress thereafter, and each year the movement made great 
gains, both in the number and the character of the people furthering it. 

When Elihu Root became Secretary of State, in 3005, one of his first acts 
was to draft, in collaboration with Senator Lodge, a bill to classify and grade 
the Consular Service, to apply civil-service principles to the selection, appoint¬ 
ment, and promotion of officers, and. among other things, to establish a system 
of periodical inspection of all offices in the Consular Service. This measure 
was strongly supported by commercial bodies, newspapers, and magazines 
throughout the country, and was finally enacted into law, minus the provisions 
regulating selection, appointment, and promotion of officers. 

President Roosevelt, by Executive order, promptly promulgated regulations 
similar to those omitted from the act, and therefore, since June 27, 190(>, the 
Consular Service has been administered in an entirely nonpartisan manner and 
according to the strict principles of the merit system. 

Later, soon after the beginning of his administration, President Taft, by 
Executive order, applied similar rules and regulations to the secretaryships in 
the Diplomatic Service. Civil-service principles have, therefore, governed the 
administration of the entire foreign service, with the exception of the heads of 
missions, since the autumn of 3909. 

The result has been: (1) The appointment of officers of a higher average of 
ability than ever before; (2) a far higher standard of official and personal con¬ 
duct on the part of the officers; (3) far greater activity, industry, and effi¬ 
ciency than had ever before been known in the foreign service of this country. 

The value and efficiency of the foreign service as at present administered has 
won the highest praise from, first, American business men and commercial or¬ 
ganizations that have had occasion to make use of the service; second, from 
Americans and others who have come in contact with diplomatic and consular 
officers in their travels abroad; third, from foreign Governments, as is evi¬ 
denced by their frequent inquiries in regard to some of the factors which have 
contributed so much to the efficiency of the American system. Instances of 
the latter are the system of examinations, the system of promotion upon merit 
rather than by seniority or length of service, and the system of consular 
inspection. 

It may well be inquired why, if our service is so excellent under Executive 
regulations, Congress should be requested to enact a law which embodies little 
more than the principles of those regulations. The fact is that no man who 
may hereafter be elected to the Presidency would probably, of his own accord, 
desire to relax existing regulations; but the tendency is at the beginning of 
each new administration to bring to bear upon a President such an amount of 
political pressure in various forms as to make it sometimes difficult, if not 
impossible, to avoid a modification of a regulation of the President’s own mak¬ 
ing. Therefore, if Congress should by the enactment of a law embodying the 
principles of the Executive regulations now in existence formally express its 
approval of those regulations, it would enormously strengthen an Executive in 
not only keeping the regulations in force, but in adding to them whenever the 
circumstances might make that course advisable. 

Moreover, the public, and especially those members of it engaged in commer¬ 
cial enterprise, and especially in foreign trade, are not satisfied with regula¬ 
tions resting merely upon the law of the Executive, but are demanding that 
those regulations—at least the essential principles of them—be enacted into 
law. in order that they may feel sure that the foreign service, to the care of 
which their interests principally are committed, shall be made up of men of 
The intelligence, ability, and integrity necessary to insure the proper protection 
of the enterprses in which their capital is invested. 

It may be asked. Does the Sulzer bill furnish the kind of legislation needed? 
It does—at least for the present. The bill as drafted seeks to accomplish three 
important things: (3) To place upon the statute books the essential principles 
of the existing regulations regarding examinations and promotions; (2) to 
grade the diplomatic secretaryships so as to make orderly promotion possible; 
(3) to authorize the President to make all appointments of diplomatic secre- 
taries and consular officers to grades instead of to places, similar to the prac¬ 
tice in the Army and the Navy. These are the main principles of the Sulzer 
bill, which is simple in form and easy to understand. 

The bill does not seek to compel or direct the President to make appoint¬ 
ments or promotions in any specified manner, and therefore does not abridge 


IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


11 


Lis constitutional right to appointment, with the advice and consent of tlie 
Senate, all ambassadors, public ministers, and consuls. On the other hand, it 
does grade the diplomatic secretaryships and thus provide a basis for orderly 
promotion, if the President should see tit to direct promotions to be made. It 
authorizes the President to make appointments to grades instead of to places, 
which involves, after all, only the consent of Congress (1) to the appointment 
of a salary by grade instead of by place; (2) an advance agreement by the 
Senate to confirm nominations by grade as in the case of Army and naval offi¬ 
cers. Certainly these things are clearly within the power of Congress to do. 

The bill constitutes examining boards to test the fitness of candidates under 
certain prescribed rules and makes it the duty of the Secretary of State to 
report the findings of the boards of examiners to the President, but it leaves 
the President free to accept or reject these findings, for the reason that it 
might well be claimed that Congress has no power to direct him to accept them. 
It may be said that the bill makes it morally obligatory upon the President to 
select his candidates from the eligible list provided by the boards of examiners, 
and that this would operate to abridge his constitutional powers. No one will 
for a moment assume that any President is anxious to appoint unfit men to the 
foreign service; therefore, if fitness is to be the qualification for appointment, 
every President would be only too anxious to have machinery constituted to 
relieve him in an orderly manner of the details of making certain that candi¬ 
dates finally certified to him for appointment possess the necessary qualifica¬ 
tions. The most important thing, however, is that every conscientious Presi¬ 
dent would, upon the enactment of this law, have his hands strengthened by 
the moral forces of the law. 

Another important feature of this bill is the requirement that the Secretary 
of State shall make public the reports of the boards of examiners and the pro¬ 
portional representation of each State and Territory in the foreign service. 
There is nothing that insures efficient conduct on the part of a public servant 
so much as to be obliged to subject his official acts to the scrutiny of the public. 
Examining boards, like every other kind of organization, deteriorate if not sur¬ 
rounded by any effective restriction or influence to keep them up to a proper 
standard. Publicity will do this better than anything else, because, if we know 
the temper of the public interested in this measure, they do not mean to be 
trifled with, and may be depended upon to hold the examinations up to a 
high standard. The proportional representation in the foreign service ought to 
interest every State and Territory, because nearly all are represented now, and 
as time goes on, if the existing system is maintained, each State and Territory 
is likely to have, approximately, its proper proportional representation. Then 
we should have a foreign service truly representative instead of one almost en¬ 
tirely filled by men from Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, and a dozen other 
States, as in the past. 

The Sulzer bill, if enacted, would give permanence to the existing system, 
not in a narrow way. from the standpoint of giving some individual a perma¬ 
nent tenure in a public office, but in the larger way of placing at the disposal of 
the Government and of the business men of the country a body of professional 
diplomatic and consular officers—men expert in their calling, acquainted with 
the subjects with which the foreign service has to deal, and capable of handling 
questions on those subjects in the most efficient manner. The work of a diplo¬ 
matic and consular officer is not to be learned well in a night any more than a 
man learns to be a great lawyer after a superficial reading of an elementary text¬ 
book on the law. The volumes of regulations enacted to govern the acts of the 
members of the Diplomatic and Consular Service cover fully a thousand pages, 
and an officer might know the regulations by heart and still be a very ineffi¬ 
cient officer in precisely the same way that a surgeon might know his anatomy 
in the most minute way and be entirely incapable of performing an operation. 
A good diplomatic or consular officer is made only by technical knowledge plus 
extended experience. If we need a professional Army and Navy to fight occa¬ 
sionally when our national interests require it. how much more do we need 
professional diplomatic and consular officers to fight all the time for the things 
which keep our farmers busy and our factories running full time. 

The grading of the diplomatic secretaryships by this bill, if enacted, would 
make orderly promotion possible. At present a second secretary of embassy 
transferred to be a first secretary of legation does not know whether he has 
been promoted or demoted. A second secretary in South America transferred 
to be a second secretary in Europe is likewise uncertain as to whether he is 
being rewarded or otherwise. The result of this condition is dissatisfaction 
and uncertainty on the part of the officers, under which condition the highest 


12 


IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


efficiency is not possible. The assumption of regular grades in the secretary¬ 
ships would make each promotion have a strong moral effect upon the entire 
service, would increase ambition and enthusiasm, and hence raise the standard 
of efficiency. 

The authorization empowering the President to appoint to grades instead of 
to places would give to the service an elasticity which it does not now possess, 
and an officer appointed to a grade would be assigned instantly, in the discre¬ 
tion of the President, without the necessity of waiting for confirmation or com¬ 
plying with all of the formalities that are now required. At present when an 
officer is transferred or promoted he is obliged to take an oath, execute a 
bond, and comply with other formalities precisely as if he were entering the 
service for the first time. Under the bill which it is proposed to enact, these 
formalities would disappear and the officer would be instantly assignable, as 
in the Army and the Navy. It is presumed this provision would also enable 
the President to determine, in his discretion, the place at which an officer 
should serve; if not, a provision should be made to cover that point. Under 
the existing system, the trade of a post may entirely disappear, the need of a 
consulate may cease to exist, and the Government may go on paying a salary 
without getting any return therefor, until a bill can be passed through Congress 
changing the location of the office; likewise, great opportunities for the develop¬ 
ment' of trade or need for the protection of Americans may occur in a place 
where there are no diplomatic or consular officers and the Executive is without 
power to assign an officer to the place without first obtaining action by Con¬ 
gress. Experience has shown that from one to five years is required to obtain 
legislation for a routine change of this kind. Commercial routes are con¬ 
stantly changing, American enterprises in foreign countries are steadily de¬ 
veloping. and the officers of the foreign service, if they are to fulfill their 
mission, should be assignable in the discretion of the President. In no other 
way can they meet the exigencies that are continually arising in connection 
with our foreign commercial relations. 

Statement of Anslev Wilcox, Esq., of Buffalo. X. Y.: 

The Chairman. Give the reporter your name and address. 

Mr. Wilcox. Ansley Wilcox, Buffalo, N. Y. 

The Chairman. What position do you hold? 

Mr. Wilcox. I am chairman of the committee on diplomatic and consular re¬ 
form of the National Civil Service Reform League and have been chairman of 
that committee for a number of years. I appear here in favor of the Sulzerbill 
as the head of that committee for the National Civil Service Reform League, 
and I also appear with resolutions passed by the Buffalo Chamber of Com¬ 
merce indorsing the Sulzer bill, which I shall ask the privilege of reading, as 
the resolutions were drawn in such a way as to summarize the reasons for 
approving the Sulzer bill, by a purely commercial organization like our great 
chamber of commerce of Buffalo. They summarize a great deal of what there 
is to be said on this subject. These resolutions were first passed upon by the 
committee on State and foreign commerce of the Buffalo Chamber of Commerce, 
were adopted unanimously by that committee and then unanimously adopted 
by the directors of the chamber of commerce, and they read as follows: 

“ CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OF BUFFALO. 

“At a meeting of the trustees held on Tuesday, March 12. 1912, the follow¬ 
ing resolution, recommended by the committee on State and national affairs, 
was adopted unanimously: 

“ 'Resolved, That the Chamber of Commerce of Buffalo heartily approves and 
indorses the bill pending in Congress entitled “An act to improve the foreign 
service,” introduced by Mr. Sulzer, being substantially the same bill formerly 
introduced by Mr. Lowden. This bill would classify the Diplomatic* Service in 
its lower grades and permit its thorough reorganization, as the Consular Serv¬ 
ice has heretofore been classified and reorganized under an act of Congress, and 
would recognize and give legal validity to the examining boards for the Con¬ 
sular and Diplomatic Services already created under Executive orders of Presi¬ 
dent Roosevelt and President Taft, and thus would secure so much of the 
merit system of appointment and promotion in these great branches of our 
foreign service as has been introduced and found to be practicable under these 
existing Executive orders.’ ” 


IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


13 


Copies of these resolutions luive been sent to all the members of the com¬ 
mittee, I think. I hey show the attitude of the Buffalo Chamber of Commerce, 
but I will soy a little more before 1 go on to speak for the Civil Service Reform 
League, and speak to the merits of the bill itself. 

I happen to be very familiar, sir, with the views of the chambers of com¬ 
merce of the country on this subject, because, quite independently of my posi¬ 
tion in the Civil Service Reform League, I have for years represented the 
Buffalo Chamber of Commerce on the subject of consular reform, and I have 
worked with the representatives of the National Chamber of Commerce on that 
subject for a great many years. We had a great convention of the chambers 
of commerce, a great commerce convention, I think it was called; I can not give 
you the exact year, but I think it was 1008, was it not? 

Mr. Carr. It was in 1006. 

Mr. Wilcox. It was in 1006, and it was a great convention of all the commer¬ 
cial bodies of the country, and they met in Washington, and they made a special 
teature of urging upon Congress the passage of the consular reorganization hill 
which was then pending, and which apparently, up to that time, had not nearly 
as much opportunity for passing as the bill now pending before you has, or 
nearly as much apparent strength. So much popular sentiment was created 
by the unanimous expression of feeling of these representatives of the business 
men of the country at that time, and so much influence did they have upon 
the then existing Congress of the United States that the bill was passed within 
two months after that congress adjourned. 

Senator Root, then Secretary of State, came before our convention and ad¬ 
dressed us on the subject, and a special committee was appointed to come up 
and confer with the Speaker of the House of Representatives, our old Uncle 
Joe, who received us very kindly, and the chairman of this committee, and the 
bill was favorably reported as the bill was then passed. The commercial bodies 
of the country, from all parts of the country, expressed themselves consistently 
and periodically in favor of this legislation. Immediately after the passage of 
the consular reorganization bill President Roosevelt issued his Executive order 
in which he created a board of examiners for the Consular Service and created 
the system which since then has existed, by which an effort has been made to 
select candidates for the Consular Service on the basis of merit and fitness and 
not for parties and considerations. 

That was the beginning of the reform in the foreign service in modern times. 
I am not saying that efforts had not been made in that direction before. Some- 
efforts had been made during President Grant’s administration and, I believe, 
by President Cleveland. 

This bill is strongly indorsed by the National Civil Service Re¬ 
form League. Its secretary, Mr. Elliot H. Goodwin, appearing 
before the committee stated, in part, as follows: 

The council of the National Civil Service Reform League, before indorsing 
this bill, wished to know exactly what results it would accomplish. I have been 
connected with the league as its secretary for some 10 years, and have had con¬ 
siderable experience in the administration of civil-service systems. Through 
the aid of Mr. Carr, and with the advantage of entire frankness on the part 
of the officers of the State Department, I was able very quickly to get at my 
subject. I examined the eligible lists, I saw the lists of recommendations, the 
apportionment among the States, and went thoroughly into the kind of ex¬ 
amination that is set. While noncompetitive examinations are generally sup¬ 
posed to deteriorate—the standard is not maintained—I find that lias not been 
the case in connection with the consular examinations; that the standard has 
been maintained through the years that they have been used. I further found 
that there can be no question that the standard has been raised; that the kind 
of men who enter the Consular and Diplomatic Service under the examination 
system established by the Executive orders is far superior to what obtained 
prior to the issuing of those orders. 

Now, gentlemen, we are asking simply that you give the sanction of law to 
a system now existing, which no one has been bold enough to propose shall 
be abandoned. It rests to-day on Executive order. It has been tried out, 
its results are known, and we ask for the sanction of law for the maintenance 
of that system, because it will have more stability, more recognition, if it is 
in the form of a statute than in the form of an Executive order. We base that 
request, first, on the ground that it has improved the Consular and Diplomatic 
Service, improved its efficiency; second, that there are records to which Mr, 


14 


IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


Carr has referred showing that the Consular and Diplomatic Services are more 
democratic and less partisan than they were under the lack of systems which 
obtained before these orders were adopted. We think those are sufficient 
grounds to call for the enactment of this, bill. 

IIoil Huntington Wilson, Acting Secretary of State, appearing 
before the committee in favor of the bill, said: 

I am very happy that this bill, introduced by Mr. Sulzer, is receiving the 
serious consideration of this committee, because it is certainly about time that 
such a bill should become a law if the United States is to hold its place among 
the foreign powers, through the service that is going to be so necessary to 
that end, more and more, every year, in the field of foreign commerce. Of 
course the pressure for such a bill has come from the business organizations 
and interests of the whole country for years, and I have no doubt it is the fact 
that New York is our greatest port for foreign commerce that makes it happen 
that a Representative from New York has taken advanced ground to bring 
about a recognition by legislation of the fact that you can’t carry on the busi¬ 
ness of promoting foreign commerce with an amateur, catch-as-catch-can for¬ 
eign service any more than we should think of running our Navy or our fire 
department with people appointed without regard to their qualifications. 

The greatest merit of this bill, in my judgment, is the fact that it embodies 
something which removes the constitutional difficulty that has wrecked all of 
these bills which have been put forward for so many years, at the behest of 
the commercial interests and manufacturing interests. We frankly recognize 
that the Constitution put the appointing power in the case of ambassadors and 
other public ministers and consuls—and custom includes in the same category 
secretaries of embassy and legation—in the hands of the President, subject to 
confirmation by the Senate. This bill does not attempt to raise the very difficult 
constitutional question or difficulty by trying absolutely to tie the hands of 
the constitutional appointing power. It relies on the tremendous public opinion 
in this country of all the business interests, who know we must have a profes¬ 
sional foreign service which I am sure is far beyond what most of us realize, 
and upon the fact that we are not likely to have any Presidents who will wish 
to go back to an inefficient foreign service to handicap our country in that way. 

Mr. Sharp. I would like to ask a general question: I would like to have you 
state, if you will, the main differences between the system now in vogue of 
selecting secretaries to embassies and consuls, etc., and the system provided 
for in this bill. 

Mr. Wilson. Yes; I will go right to that now. The present foreign service 
has been run since November. 1909; the whole foreign service, consular and 
diplomatic, up to the grade of the highest secretaries, has been absolutely a 
merit and efficiency system without the slightest regard to any other considera¬ 
tion, political or otherwise. That is done under an Executive order dated June, 
1906, following the law of a few days before, which Congress passed, classify¬ 
ing the Consular Service. The Executive order of 1906 applies the principles 
of the civil service to all consular grades, as to the board of examiners, the 
genera] scope of the examinations, and, in fact, the regime under which the 
Consular Service is to be run. The Executive order of President Taft of 1909 
does the same thing with the Diplomatic Service up to the grade of secretary 
So that in both services there is an examination covering American history 
and institutions, Latin American, Far Eastern, European history, the rudi¬ 
ments of economics, international law, maritime law, great emphasis being 
laid on commercial geography and commerical natural resources of the United 
States and of all the different sections; in fact, an examination requiring a 
good knowledge of the things really needed for efficiency in diplomacy or in 
the Consular Service. That counts 50 per cent. Then, there is an oral examina¬ 
tion, by this same board of examiners, composed of civil-service commissioners 
and the proper officers of the department. They examine the candidates by 
number. Naturally there will occasionally be a man whom one man or another 
on the board may know, but never does every member of the board know all 
of the men who are taking the examination, or anything like it, and the great 
majority are all unknown to all of the examiners. 

Mr. Sharp. Is the personnel of that board now similar to what this bill 
provides for? 

Mr. Wilson. Exactly the same. The board of examiners examine these 
candidates by number, not knowing where they are from or who they are. The 
oral examinations consist of hypothetical questions of all kinds to determine 


IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


15 


wlint ;t man would do in a given case. The object is to try to determine liis 
quickness of mind and liis soundness of judgment, his tact, and his discretion, 
and all of those intangible qualities that we find count a good deal more for 
success in the foreign service—as they do in affairs generally—than book learn¬ 
ing without the qualities I refer to. 

Mr. Sharp. Meaning common-sense judgment? 

Mr. W ilson. Yes, sir. That which they can not learn out of books; and that 
oral part of (he examination, which is very exhaustively done, counts one-half. 
Each member of the board of examiners keeps a separate record. There are a 
great many qualities to determine. Each man is marked separately by each 
examiner, and then the board of examiners discuss each man separately, and 
they finally reach a unanimous judgment as to what they judge him to be in all 
of these respects, and then they mark him on his oral examination. Another 
thing that the oral examination covers is what is going on in the world, what 
an intelligent, wide-awake man who is interested in his own country particu¬ 
larly, and in the world generally, would know about things that are before the 
intelligent people of the world. 

Mr. Sharp. Current topics? 

Mr. Wilson. Yes; it covers that as well. 

Mr. Garner. You seek to substitute a law, then, by this bill to take the place 
of an Executive order; is that it? 


Mr. Wilson. All that the bill introduced by Mr. Sulzer does is to perpetuate 
and give the mandate of law to the existing methods of examination, and also 
to the keeping of efficiency records, which is prescribed for the departmental 
officials as well in the Executive order of 1909, and to make it mandatory upon 
the Secretary of State to report to the President from time to time, after ex¬ 
aminations, the names and records of those whom the examination shows to be 
fitted for appointment as secretary of embassy or legation, or to a consular 
post, or as a student interpreter, or as a consular assistant, and the names 
and records of those in the service whose efficiency records will show that they 
are in line for promotion. 

Stopping there, the Sulzer bill relies upon the moral effect of the backing 
of the business interests of the whole country, who realize the importance of a 
trained foreign service, and upon the moral force of this mandate from Con¬ 
gress, to hold up the hands of any President against pressure and make it 
easier for him to continue to run the service on a strictly merit principle. 

Mr. Goodwin. Does this bill seek to become a counterpart to the system now 
in vogue in Germany, largely, and to a certain extent which is the custom of 
the British Government, to have representatives in different countries of the 
world report to their respective governments as to the commercial outlook for 
the sale of their wares and merchandise, and where there is a certain demand 
for certain goods, and as to how those goods should be made, and how they 
should be boxed and shipped out, and all of that? You know we need some¬ 
thing along that line largely because of the strong competition we have to 
meet. I notice the British think themselves behind even this country, which 
I do not think is the case with Germany, the latter country, of course, out¬ 
stripping the world, it having its agents ramify into every nook and corner 
of the globe, in quest of trade, and all that. 

Mr. Cooper. It seems to me that I read very recently that Germany was copy¬ 
ing our consular reports, and that we were taking the initiative and leading in 
that in a general way. 

Mr. Wilson. Yes; we are not getting much credit for it in all parts of the 
United States, and notably on this hill, but it is a fact that both in Great 
Britain and Germany there has been considerable criticism of their foreign 
service, in comparison, flattering to our own. 


Statement of Mr. W. B. Campbell, representing the Chamber of 
Commerce of Cincinnati, Ohio: 


I represent the Chamber of Commerce of Cincinnati; I am also representing 
the American Manufacturers’ Export Association, of which I have the honor 
to be president. I simply come here to represent those two bodies, and to say 
that we approve of this bill, as we have already shown by resolutions which I 
have placed in your chairman’s hands, and that we urged upon you the neces¬ 
sity for its early passage. 

This bill is peculiar in that it does not carry any money with it. In addition 
to that it is not anything new or untried, as I understand it. In fact, the 
examination has been required now for a period of eight years, and the results 


16 


IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


must be apparent to any man wlio, like myself, 1ms had 10 years’ experience as 
a foreign commercial salesman. 

This bill is an economy. I read some time ago in our great journal of infor¬ 
mation. the Saturday Evening Post, that the German Government has spent, 
more money in their consular office than we spend in our Department of Com¬ 
merce and Labor, which l do not think is to the credit of the German Govern¬ 
ment. If we send out the right men, it is an economy. 

I will tell you the main reason why I think this bill should be passed. We 
are in the middle of a period of great enthusiasm over the growth of our export 
business. The reason for that is not hard to find. We have been in the middle 
of a depression at home. Right now I do not believe it would be possible to 
appoint unworthy men, but the reason for that is that the merchants of the 
United States—my own association, the National Association of Manufacturers— 
watch carefully every point. But when we come to the time again, which I 
hope we are coming to, of great prosperity at home—when it is almost impos¬ 
sible to bring our manufacturers and merchants to a great interest in the export 
trade—wouldn’t it be better to have this thing well understood than to have the 
appointments made as they were made 30 or 15 years ago? 

Hon. Henry White said: 

I think it is of the highest importance that the service should be classified in 
the way that is set forth in the bill. I have never been able to see any reason 
why the secretaries of embassies and consuls should not be put in certain 
classes, just as the officers of the Army and Navy are. I have many times in 
my life seen serious inconvenience arise from the fact that a secretary or a 
consul could not be transferred from one post to another. Sometimes there 
is great pressure of work and sometimes very little; a consul never can tell 
when he has got to do his work. It is very desirable that the Secretary of 
State should be able to transfer, immediately and without asking the Senate, 
a secretary for a short time. 

Mr. Welding Ring, speaking for the New York Chamber of Com¬ 
merce. said: 

I come here as the representative of the New York Chamber of Commerce. I 
am chairman of the committee on foreign affairs of that chamber, and we have 
taken a very great interest in this bill introduced by Congressman Sulzer. At 
a recent meeting I introduced a resolution, which was unanimously passed, in 
support of the bill. There was no opposition to it, and the remarks that were 
made in connection with the bill when it was introduced in the chamber indi¬ 
cated that it was entirely satisfactory to our members, and there were no 
criticisms when the resolution indorsing it was introduced. 

I can say for the members of the chamber that as far as I have come in 
contact with them, and I have discussed this matter quite extensively, that 
there is not one of them but realizes the necessity of making our Consular 
Service better than it is at present. We all admit that there has been a very 
great improvement in recent years, but there is still room for greater improve¬ 
ment. It has been my privilege and duty to travel very extensively during 
recent years through the Far East and also through Europe, and I have been 
brought in contact with quite a number of our representatives. In the larger 
cities, the larger ports, they have been men of character and ability, and it 
was a pleasure to meet them. In some of the smaller places I must say that 
they were not men that reflected any credit on the United States. 

Chambers of commerce, boards of trade, and business associations 
throughout the country are asking Congress to give its approval to 
this bill, as witness the following resolutions, selected from many on 
hie with the committee: 

Extracts from the Minutes of a Quarterly Meeting of the Philadelphia 
Board of Trade, Held March 18, 1912. 

Whereas the Diplomatic and Consular Services of the great nations are factors of 

the first importance in the struggle for commercial supremacy; and 
Whereas the President of the United States, by Executive orders under date of June 

27, 1906, and November 26, 1909, applied civil-service principles to the Diplomatic 

and Consular Service; and 


IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 17 


Whereas it is recognized that the application of these principles has been conducive 
to great improvement in the services; and 

Whereas Hon. William Sulzer, chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, has 
introduced a bill giving legislative sanction to the existing Executive regulations 
governing appointments and promotions in the Diplomatic and Consular Service: 
Therefore 

Resolved, That the Philadelphia Board of Trade earnestly petitions Congress to 
enact as law House bill No. 20044, being “A bill for the improvement of the foreign 
service.’ ’ 

True copy. 

[seal.] Edward R. Wood, 

First Vice President Philadelphia Board of Trade. 

Attest: 

W. R. Tucker, Secretary. 


New York Board of Trade and Transportation, 

New York, March IS, 1912. 

At the monthly meeting of the New York Board of Trade and Transportation held 
this day, Lindsay Russell, Esq., chairman of the committee on foreign and insular 
trade, reported favorably the following preamble and resolution, and it was unani¬ 
mously adopted: 

Whereas a bill has been introduced by Congressman Sulzer, chairman of the Committee 
on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives, H. R. No. 20044, entitled “A 
bill for the improvement of the foreign service,” and this bill, if enacted, would 
give the additional force of a statute to the Executive order of President Roosevelt* 
dated June 27, 1906, relating to the Consular Service, and would give like addi¬ 
tional force to the Executive order of President Taft, dated November 26, 1909, 
relating to the Diplomatic Service, and the said Sulzer bill is approved by the 
Department of State; and 

Whereas the said bill, if enacted, would provide the President of the United States 
a list of those who, by reason of efficient service, have demonstrated special effi¬ 
ciency, and also the names of persons found upon examination to have fitness for 
appointment to the lower grades of the foreign service; would create a board of 
examiners for the Diplomatic Service and one for the Consular Service; would 
grade the secretaryships of the Diplomatic Service substantially as the Consular 
Service is now graded; would provide for appointments to grades instead of to places 
in the Consular Service and of secretary in the Diplomatic Service; and would 
prescribe the scope and method of the examinations for these services: Therefore 
Resolved, That the New York Board of Trade and Transportation most heartily ap¬ 
proves the purposes of H. R. bill No. 20044, introduced by Mr. Sulzer, “For the im¬ 
provement of the foreign service,” and respectfully petitions the Senate and House 
of Representatives to pass the said bill. 

A true copy. 

William H. Gibson, 

Vice President and Acting President. 

Attest: 

[seal.] Frank S. Gardner, 

Secretary. 

Newark, N. J., March 28, 1912. 

Hon. William Sulzer, 

Washington, D. C. 

Dear Sir: By a unanimous vote at the regular meeting of this body, at 
which 150 business men were present, the provisions of H. R. 20044, introduced 
by Hon. William Sulzer. was accorded full indorsement, and it was voted to 
petition for its enactment at this session. 

It was voted to communicate with the Members of the House and Senate 
from New Jersey to urge their cooperation and to request their support in favor 
of its enactment. 

Respectfully, Board of Trade of the City of Newark. 

Jas. M. Kelley, Secretary . 


H. Rept. 840, 62-2-2 



18 


IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


Massachusetts State Board of Trade, 

Boston, March 23, 1912. 

Hon. William Sulzer, 

Chairman Committee on Foreign Affairs. 

Dear Sir : At a meeting of the Massachusetts State Board of Trade in execu¬ 
tive council held March 13, 1912, the following vote was unanimously passed: 

“ Voted, that the Massachusetts State Board of Trade, being especially inter¬ 
ested in the improvement and extension of the commerce of the United States 
with foreign countries and in the development of an efficient foreign service 
capable of rendering substantial assistance to American manufacturers and 
exporters, approves of the passage of House Bill No. 20044, which it believes 
will lay the foundation for still further improvement in the future, and it asks 
the hearty cooperation of the Massachusetts Senators and Representatives in 
the effort to secure the passage of this bill.” 

Yours, very truly, Richard L. Gay, Secretary. 


Board of Trade of Kansas City, Mo., 

Kansas City, Mo., March 19, 1912. 

Hon. William Sulzer, M. C., 

Chairman Committee on Foreign Affairs, Washington, D. C. 

Dear Sir : The following resolutions were adopted by this board of trade at 
a recent meeting: 

Whereas in response to the growing demand on the part of the American people 
for the best service in all departments of national life, the President of the 
United States, by Executive orders, under date of June 27, 1906, and Novem¬ 
ber 26, 1909, applied civil-service principles to the Diplomatic and Consular 
Service; and 

Whereas sundry bills have been presented to Congress since 1906 for the enact¬ 
ment into law of the aforesaid Executive orders: Now, therefore, 

The Board of Trade of Kansas City, Mo., petitions the Congress of the 
United States to promptly enact a law which shall provide for the application 
of civil-service principles to the Diplomatic and Consular Service of the United 
States; and 

Further, That due consideration may be given the question of adequate pen¬ 
sions for the retired diplomatic and consular officers in order that men of high 
character and ability may be attracted to the responsible and honorable career 
of representing our country abroad and definitely adopting such service as their 
life work. 

Yours, respectfully, E. D. Bigelow, Secretary. 


Chamber of Commerce of the State of New York, 

New York, April 5, 1912. 

Dear Sir : I take great pleasure in sending to you inclosed preamble and reso¬ 
lution adopted by the chamber of commerce at its meeting on Thursday, April 4, 
indorsing the Sulzer bill (H. R. 20044) for the further improvement of the 
Consular Service. 

Yours, very truly, Sereno S. Pratt, 

Secretary. 

Hon. William Sulzer, 

House of Representatives, Washington, D. C. 


Whereas the Sulzer bill (H. R. 20044), entitled “A bill for the improvement of 
the foreign service,” is in harmony with the recommendations of President 
Taft and of his Secretary of State, and embodies the principles advocated by 
this chamber during many years; and 

Whereas it seeks to make permanent the great improvement already brought 
about in the Diplomatic and Consular Service, and to lay the foundation for 
further improvement in the future by giving legislative sanction to the 
existing executive regulations governing appointments and promotions in that 
service, thus increasing that efficiency necessary for the promotion of our 
foreign trade: Therefore be it 





IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


19 


Resolved , That the Chamber of Commerce of the State of New York heartily 
indorses House bill 20044 providing for examinations to test the fitness of per¬ 
sons seeking appointment and promotion in certain grades of the Diplomatic 
and Consular Service, and urges the Representatives of this State in both 
branches of Congress to give to the bill their earnest support. 

Resolutions Adopted at a Meeting of the Board of Managers of the New 
York Produce Exchange, Held March 7, 1912. 

Whereas the members of the New York Produce Exchange, being largely inter¬ 
ested in export trade, are vitally concerned in the efficiency of the foreign 
Diplomatic and Consular Service maintained by the United States: Be it 
Resolved , That the board of managers of the New York Produce Exchange 
hereby indorses House bill 20044, introduced by the Hon. William Sulzer, pro¬ 
viding for various improvements of the foreign service, and strongly urge 
prompt and favorable action on this bill, believing that its provisions will 
materially and permanently increase the value of this service. 

Resolved, That copies of this preamble and resolution be forwarded to the 
chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, House of Representatives; to 
the chairman of the Committee on Foreign Relations of the United States 
Senate; and to the Secretary of State. 


The Cincinnati Commercial Association, 

April 2 , 1912. 

Hon. William Sulzer, 

House of Representatives, Washington, D. C.: 

The foreign-trade expansion committee of the Cincinnati Commercial Associa¬ 
tion, an organization of 1,500 business men in this city, urge passage of bill for 
improvement of foreign service, being House bill 20044. We feel the salaries 
provided are inadequate, and urge amendment of this section if possible. 

A. P. Hagemeyer, Chairman. 


Resolutions of American Manufacturers’ Export Association on House Bill 
20044, “A Bill for the Improvement of the Foreign Service.” 

Whereas the attention of the American Manufacturers’ Export Association has 
been called to the provisions contained in House bill 20044, entitled “A bill 
for the improvement of the foreign service,” which bill is now in the hands 
of the Committee on Foreign Affairs in the House of Representatives; and 
Whereas the members of the board of directors of the American Manufacturers’ 
Export Association have made a careful perusal and study of provisions of 
said bill; and 

Whereas the said directors of the American Manufacturers’ Export Association 
have noted with pride the vast improvements in the Consular Service of the 
United States, as in the past 10 years, which improvements (it is their belief) 
is largely caused by the adoption of rules on the part of the State Depart¬ 
ment along the lines which it is now proposed to make permanent by the 
enactment of this ^House bill 20044; and 
Whereas the increased complication of American foreign business and multi¬ 
plicity of articles now exported in distinction to the few articles exported 
many years ago, makes it necessary that better men be employed both by the 
manufacturers and by the Government in the introduction of these articles 
abroad and the proper development of the foreign markets; and 
Whereas the provisions of this bill will practically remove the Consular Service 
from political activity and will assure permanency of position to capable men 
once they have entered the Consular Service without regard to what political 

party may be in power; and . ... 

Whereas it is the belief of the board of directors that all the provisions in this 
bill will work to the permanent establishment of the beneficial policy now 
pursued by the State Department with regard to the Consular and Diplomatic 
Service and will establish these beneficial methods as law of the Nation 
instead of the rulings of the Secretary of State, which rulings could be 
changed by any future Secretary of State: Now, therefore, be it 




20 


IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


Resolved , That the directors of the American Manufacturers’ Export Asso¬ 
ciation. in the name of its membership, hereby indorse said House bill 20044, 
entitled “A bill for improvement of foreign service,” and ask that it be favor¬ 
ably reported from the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and strongly urge its 
passage by the House of Representatives and Senate; and be it further 

Resolved, That copies of these resolutions shall be sent to the Committee on 
Foreign Affairs, all Members of the House of Representatives and the Senate 
of the United States. 

American Manufacturers’ Export Association. 

W. B. Campbell, President, 

For the Board of Directors. 


A FEW LEADING EDITORIALS. 

There can be no genuine opposition to the enactment of this pro¬ 
posed legislation. If the public press reflects the sentiment of the 
business interests of the country—and we believe it does—there is 
no mistaking what the people want. Can Congress afford to ignore 
the expressed wish of the public? There must be some good cause 
to set aside this strong public opinion. A glance at the following 
editorials leaves no room for doubt. No artificial or flimsy excuse 
by Congress can successfully meet the appeal of the Nation, as these 
leading editorials, selected from many, clearly demonstrate: 

[Editorial from the Journal of Commerce, New York, Mar. 19, 1912.] 
GOVERNMENTAL PROMOTION OF COMMERCE. 

As a general proposition, it may be safely affirmed that the more interest the 
executive departments of the Government of the United States take in the pro¬ 
motion of the commerce of the Nation, the better they will discharge their duty 
to the people. Thus, when the Acting Secretary of State invokes the support 
of the commercial organizations of the land for the bill introduced by Repre¬ 
sentative Sulzer, with the declared purpose of improving the foreign service, 
he makes an appeal which touches a wide range of business and industrial 
interests. For the Sulzer bill is merely a new form of the Lowden bill, and is 
rightly characterized as an embodiment of “ principles for which the commer¬ 
cial organizations of the country have been contending for a number of years.” 
The bill is intended to give legislative sanction to the existing executive regu¬ 
lations governing appointments and promotions in the Diplomatic and Consular 
Service, to make permanent the great improvement already effected, and to lay 
the foundation for further improvement in the future—in short, to head off 
the danger of letting the Consular Service relapse into the old vicious ruts of 
partisan politics. It need hardly be said that while the highest consular places 
continue to be reserved for incumbents whose main qualification is their useful¬ 
ness to a political party, the service will not hold very powerful inducements 
for the best men to select it as a career. Important as have been the gains 
which by successive Executive orders have been made in establishing a uniform 
rule of fitness in the service, no President or Secretary of State has yet been 
able to keep its prizes from being clutched by the politicians. But it is some¬ 
thing to have made “ efficiency as the only basis of promotion,” in the majority 
of cases, and the passage of the Sulzer bill will greatly strengthen the hands 
of the Executive in the endeavor to make it the sole qualification in every case. 

So, too, the Secretary of Commerce and Labor, with the aid of the President, 
is engaged in a highly laudable effort when he invites the various commercial 
bodies of the country to form a national organization of a thoroughly represent¬ 
ative character, to which the executive officers of the Government could turn 
for advice and guidance in matters relating to trade and industry. Secretary 
Nagel’s predecessor, Mr. Straus, made a similar attempt, but failed, because he 
began to organize from above instead of from below. In his message of Decem¬ 
ber 7 President Taft gave the first impetus to this new movement by expressing 
a belief that it would be of great value to have “ some central organization in 
touch with the associations and chambers of commerce throughout the country, 
and able to keep purely American interests closely in touch with commercial 


IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


21 


affairs. ’ The President says that this statement was prompted by suggestions 
received from representatives of commercial and industrial interests in all 
parts of the country. And it seemed to him to be obvious that such an organi¬ 
zation as he had suggested might be instrumental in a very large field to aid 
and assist the executive and legislative branches of the Government in the in¬ 
telligent and impartial development of domestic and foreign trade. It could be 
of assistance in giving advice in regard to proposed new legislation and in 
counseling representatives of the executive branch when asked to submit 
recommendations upon bills introduced and pending before committees. Such 
an organization would, moreover, be in the best possible position to suggest 
fields for new inquiry at home and abroad, the methods by which such inquiries 
should be pursued, and the means by which their results could be most ad¬ 
vantageously brought to the attention of merchants and manufacturers. Acting 
on the President’s recommendation, the Secretary of the Department of Com¬ 
merce and Labor has called a meeting of the representative commercial and 
industrial associations of the United States for April 15 in the city of Wash¬ 
ington. 

The question of the method of organization will naturally be the most im¬ 
portant subject of discussion for this April conference. It has been suggested 
that the membership of the national association should consist of chambers of 
commerce, boards of trade, and kindred associations which are democratic in 
their character and broadly representative of the commercial interests of the 
districts which they serve, as well as of such trade and industrial organizations 
as are national in their scope. Representation in the national association would 
necessarily be based on the numerical strength of the constituent organizations 
with a limit to the number of delegates which the larger organizations could be 
allowed to appoint. There would necessarily have to be an advisory committee 
and a permanent board of directors to keep in touch with the questions demand¬ 
ing the attention of the organization and to direct the activity of the executive 
secretary in charge of the permanent headquarters in Washington. Of course 
everything would depend on the breadth of view and the commercial experience 
which would govern the policy of such an organization. Its activity might be¬ 
come the reverse of beneficial were it permitted to become the center of agitation 
for special privileges or governmental subventions for any form of commercial 
or industrial enterprise. Germany is, of course, the standing illustration of the 
atfiliation of business organizations with the Government, and the claim has 
been confidently made that the development of the business of the United States 
has been seriously impeded by a lack of such coordination of effort. Be that as 
it may, there can be no question about the value of providing a kind of national 
clearing house for the development and expression of business opinion and for 
insuring united action upon questions of common interest in every part of the 
country. So long as the men at the head of such an organization do not lose 
sight of the fact that the chief impediment to the development of our foreign 
commerce is the system of reduplicated taxation which hampers every branch 
of American manufacture when brought into competition with that of another 
country enjoying greater industrial freedom, they can unquestionably do 
effective work in removing some of the minor impediments, and possibly in 
bringing about a clearer perception of the direction in which permanent ex¬ 
pansion must be sought. 


[Editorial from Bradstreets, New York, Mar. 16, 1912.] 

IMPROVING THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 

There is, we believe, general concurrence in the belief that there has been in 
recent years a distinct improvement in the organization of the foreign service 
of the United States. A powerful impulse in the direction of improving condi¬ 
tions in the great body of the foreign service, both diplomatic and consular, 
was given by Senator Root when he filled the office of Secretary of State, and 
his successor, Secretary Knox, has brought a similar spirit to the administra¬ 
tion of this branch of the Federal service. In his message of December 7 last, 
in which he dealt with the foreign relations of the United States, President 
Taft directed attention to the fact that the men selected for appointment by 
means of the existing Executive regulations, making a partial application of 
civil-service rules to the Diplomatic and Consular Service, have been of a far 
higher average of intelligence and ability than the men appointed before the 



22 


IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


regulations were promulgated. He declared, moreover, that the feeling that 
under the existing rules there is reasonable hope for permanence of tenure dur¬ 
ing good behavior and for promotion for meritorious service has served to bring 
about a zealous activity in the interests of the country which never before 
existed or could exist. 

A further step in the direction of improving the foreign service is now pro¬ 
posed in a bill introduced by Mr. Sulzer, the chairman of the House Committee 
on Foreign Affairs. This bill provides that the President may make all ap¬ 
pointments of secretaries in the Diplomatic Service and of consuls general and 
consuls to grades instead of to places, subject to the advice and consent of the 
Senate in each case. It directs the Secretary of State to report from time to 
time to the President, along with his recommendations for promotion, or for 
transfer between the department and the foreign service, the names of those 
secretaries in the Diplomatic Service and the names of those consular officers 
or departmental officers or employees who, by reason of efficient service, an 
accurate record of which shall be kept in the Department of State, have demon¬ 
strated special efficiency, and also the names of persons found upon examination 
to have fitness for appointment to the lower grades of the service. The secre¬ 
taryships in the Diplomatic Service are graded and classified, and boards of 
examiners for that service and for the Consular Service are established, con¬ 
sisting of officers of those services in conjunction with officers designated by 
the Civil Service Commission. 

The scope and method of the examinations is to be determined by the boards 
of examiners, but the examinations must include business experience and 
ability, the resources and commerce of the United States with special refer¬ 
ence to the development of export trade, international, commercial, and mari¬ 
time law and history, American history, government, and institutions, and one 
language other than English. The examinations are to be held annually, and 
to be conducted with strict impartiality, and without regard to the politi¬ 
cal or other affiliations of any candidate. The reports of the boards of examin¬ 
ers are to be made public, and at the same time the Secretary of State is re¬ 
quired to make a public statement of the proportional representation of the 
different States and Territories in the foreign service. 

This is a measure which should be placed upon the statute book. It aims 
to build a foreign service whose personnel .will be trained and capable and in 
which efficiency will be the only basis for promotion. One of its results will be 
that the names of persons who have demonstrated their efficiency will be 
brought to the attention of the Chief Executive when recommendations for 
appointments or promotions are submitted to him. Its enactment is advocated 
by the State Department for the reasons that it would give legislative sanc¬ 
tion to the existing Executive regulations governing appointments and promo¬ 
tions in the Diplomatic and Consular Service, make permanent the great im¬ 
provement already brought about, and lay the foundation for still further 
improvement in the future. The measure should receive the hearty indorse¬ 
ment of business men, because it promises the development of an increased 
degree of ability and efficiency in the governmental agencies through which 
the growing foreign commerce of the country will be promoted and protected, 
while it affords the promise of a secure career for young men of character and 
attainments in a most useful and important service where merit will be the 
test of advancement. 


[Editorial from Harper's Weekly, Mar. 23, 1912.] 

TO IMPROVE THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 

Mr. Sulzer’s bill “ for the improvement of the foreign service,” introduced in 
the House on February 13, is one in which readers of the Weekly are likely to be 
interested and will perhaps join us in urging upon the attention of Congress. 
By the reorganization act of 1906 Congress classified the posts of the Consular 
Service in nine grades of consulates and six grades of consulates general, 
abolished compensation by fees, substituting salaries ranging from $2,000 to 
$12,000, and provided a corps of five consular inspectors, who inspect every 
post at intervals of two years. 

This bill was good as far as it went, but made no provision for appointments 
to the service or tenure in office. In June, 1906, President Roosevelt, by an 
Executive order, promulgated regulations for admission to the Consular Service 



IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


23 


which have had the effect of making it a civil service in fact as well as in name. 
President Taft has not disturbed this order and, under it, appointments to the 
service are now made after careful examination of the candidates. If success¬ 
ful they are appointed to a class 8 or class 9 consulate (posts carrying salaries 
of $2,500 and $2,000, respectively). All vacancies in posts of higher grades are 
filled by promotion from the ranks. Political affiliations are not considered. 

This method of manning the Consular Service has had excellent results, but 
it is liable to be upset at any time by Executive order, and Mr. Sulzer’s bill 
aims to give permanence by legislative enactment. Training and experience 
are very valuable in consuls, and efficient consuls are considerably and in¬ 
creasingly valuable to American trade. If capable men are to continue to be 
attached to that service it must be made to offer them a career as secure as 
is offered in the Army or the Navy. If Congress takes such action as Mr. 
Sulzer’s bill invites that end will be considerably furthered on its way toward 
attainment. 


[Editorial from the Press, New York, Mar. 14, 1912.] 
sulzer’s foreign service bill. 

Representative Sulzer’s bill for the improvement of the foreign service of the 
United States is one of those few legislative measures upon which there is no 
party division, but in regard to which the line-up finds on one side those in 
both parties who aim for governmental efficiency, and in opposition the spoils¬ 
men of whatever profession of faith. 

The State Department, through Acting Secretary Wilson, assures us that the 
Sulzer bill would mean the development of a foreign service capable of giving 
substantial assistance to American manufacturers and exporters. Its enactment 
would provide legislative sanction for the existing Executive regulations gov¬ 
erning appointments and promotions in the Diplomatic and Consular Service, 
make permanent the great improvement already brought about, and lay the 
basis for further betterment. 

Principles for which the commercial bodies of the country have contended for 
years are embodied in Representative Sulzer’s measure. It harmonizes with 
Presidential and State Department recommendations, and if anything in its 
scheme is unsound nobody has discovered it. If the Sulzer bill were passed 
these benefits would be insured. 

Consideration of the political affiliations of candidates would be prohibited. 

Successful passing of the prescribed examinations would be legally recognized 
as a prerequisite for foreign service appointments. 

Efficiency would be the only basis for promotion. 

Special efficiency of diplomatic secretaries, of consular officers, of depart¬ 
mental officers and employees, and of all persons who have passed the pre¬ 
scribed examinations would be brought to the attention of the President when 
recommendations for first appointments, promotions, and transfers are submitted 
to him. 

Efficiency records would be kept of diplomatic secretaries, of consular officers, 
and of officers and clerks of the Department of State. 

Proportional representation of the several States and Territories in the foreign 
service would be published at the close of each examination. 

Diplomatic secretaries and consuls would be appointed to grades instead of to 
specified posts. 

Orderly promotion would be made possible by the grading of diplomatic secre¬ 
taryships. 

The scope and frequency of examinations would be legally established. 

Examining boards would be legally established. 

Reports of the examining boards would be in writing and would be published. 

The constitutional provision requiring the concurrence of the Senate to make 
the appointment of diplomatic and consular officers effective would not be 
changed. 

Mr. Sulzer’s long experience in the House and his equipment to deal with this 
subject as chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs make it unlikely that 
the schemes of his bill could be anything but advantageous to the diplomatic 
and commercial interests of the United States abroad. It is fully in line with 
the tendency to establish the business of government on a business basis and 
take it as far as possible out of petty politics. 



24 


IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


[Editorial from the Inquirer, Philadelphia, Fa., Mar. 14, 1912.] 

TO IMPROVE THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 

Representative Sulzer has introduced a bill “ for the improvement of the 
foreign service ” which responds to the requirements of the situation in view, 
which conforms to the recommendations of the President and the Secretary of 
State, and which ought without any undue delay to be enacted into law. It 
is intended to increase and secure the efficiency of the Consular and Diplomatic 
Service by definitively taking it out of politics and establishing it upon a business 
basis. To this end it proposes that all appointments of secretaries in the 
Diplomatic Service, and of consul generals and consuls, shall be made by the 
President to grades instead of places, subject, of course, in every instance to 
the advice and consent of the Senate. To this end it directs the Secretary of 
State to report to the President from time to time the names of those who on 
their records deserve promotion, and also the names of such as shall upon 
examination have proved their fitness for appointment to the lower grades. 

It provides for the organization of two examining boards, one for the diplo¬ 
matic department, to consist of an Assistant Secretary of State, a representa¬ 
tive of the Civil Service Commission, a law officer of the State Department, and 
of one other officer whom the Secretary of State is to name, and another for 
the Consular Service to be composed of the administrator of the service, of the 
chiefs of the Consular and Trade Relations Bureaus, and of one other person 
to be designated by the Civil Service Commission. The examinations, which 
are to be held at least once a year, are to be comprehensive in their scope and 
practical in their character. They are to be conducted with strict impartial¬ 
ity and without regard to the political or other affiliations of the candidate, 
and their result, which must be made public, is to be certified to the Secretary 
of State, who will in this way be furnished with a list of persons, who have in 
the manner prescribed demonstrated their eligibility, from which to make his 
recommendations. 

It will be understood that the object and effect of all this will be to base ap¬ 
pointments on fitness instead of influence; to make sure that appointees shall 
be qualified to discharge their duties with a maximum measure of ability; and 
by removing them from the hazard of arbitrary removal and conditioning their 
advancement exclusively on merit, to convert employment in the two services 
in question into a career which will attract and retain a superior class of men. 
There is no room for two opinions as to the great desirability of this reform. 
A beginning in its achievement has already been made through the spontaneous 
and voluntary initiative of the President and of the State Department. It has 
been felt that the foreign interests of the United States could only be properly 
protected and promoted through the instrumentality of trained men holding their 
offices on good behavior and assured of a promotion in accordance with their 
deserts; and to an important degree the principle which the Sulzer bill embodies 
has been successfully applied. 

At present, however, the continuance of the reformed system rests entirely 
with the Executive, and the desideratum is to give it the sanction and the bind¬ 
ing force of law. This will be accomplished by the passage of the present 
measure, and in this way the United States will secure an equipment for the 
development of its foreign trade comparable with that possessed by every first- 
class European power, an equipment which is indispensable to the acquisition 
by this country of its due share of business in the markets of the world. 


[Editorial from the Post-Express, Rochester, N. Y., Mar. 16, 1912.] 
IMPROVING THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 

The bill for the improvement of the foreign service, introduced by Repre¬ 
sentative Sulzer, chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs in the House, 
should be passed. It aims to give legal effect to a system already introduced by 
the President, through Executive orders, under which appointments and pro¬ 
motions in the Diplomatic and Consular Service are made from those whose 
fitness has been established by adequate tests. Great improvement has been 
brought about, and this will be made permanent if the pending bill becomes a 
law. The measure provides for keeping the foreign service on a business basis, 
and its principles are approved by the leading commercial organizations of the 



IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


25 


country. It prohibits consideration of political affiliations of candidates and 
provides that successful passing of the prescribed examinations shall be legally 
recognized as a prerequisite for appointment. Efficiency is to be the only 
basis for promotion. One of the best features of the bill is its provision for 
keeping efficiency records of diplomatic secretaries, consular officers, and 
officers and clerks of the Department of State. These records would, of course, 
be a great help to the President when appointments, promotions, and transfers 
were under consideration. Diplomatic secretaries and consuls would be ap¬ 
pointed to grades instead of to specified posts, and orderly promotion would be 
made possible by the grading of diplomatic secretaryships. 

The interest of commercial bodies in the reform which this bill aims to make 
permanent is easily understood. As foreign trade increases it becomes more 
and more important that those who represent this country abroad be chosen 
because of their fitness for the work to be done rather than because they belong 
to one or another political party. Experience does not encourage the belief 
that the business of government will ever be removed altogether from the field of 
politics, but politics should have no place in the foreign service, which ought 
to be on a strictly business basis. The Sulzer bill, establishing principles which 
already have been applied by President Taft, is supported by the State and 
Treasury Departments. There is nothing radical about it, and it is not likely 
to be opposed by any persons who believe that the conduct of the foreign service 
should be businesslike. If spoilsmen oppose it, their opposition will strengthen 
the belief that it should be passed. Of course nothing in the bill changes the 
requirement that in order to be effective appointment of diplomatic and con¬ 
sular officers must be approved by the Senate. 


[Editorial from the Evening News, Buffalo, N. Y., Mar. 18, 1912.] 

- THE SULZER CONSULAR BILL. 

Congressman Sulzer is adding to the long list of notable services that he has 
performed by a bill to put the Diplomatic and Consular Service on the right foot¬ 
ing by law. President Roosevelt made a good start with Secretary Root at his 
right hand to organize and push the reform that should give the United States 
a service that compares favorably with the like service of other countries. 

President Taft has rigidly enforced the merit system, but another President, 
less zealous for efficiency in service, may reverse that policy at any time, or 
Congress may get into a quarrel with the Executive and withhold appropria¬ 
tion. 

The Sulzer bill provides that there must be a passing of examinations in 
order to qualify any applicant for appointment in the foreign service: that 
efficiency is the only basis for promotion, judged by records which shall be 
kept, and that secretaries and consuls be appointed to grades instead of the 
specified posts; that there need be legally established examining boards with 
reports in writing and published, and these provisions not to conflict with the 
constitutional provision that the Senate concur in appointment of diplomatic 
and consular officers. 

The bill is highly indorsed by the State Department. It is favored by every¬ 
one who has regard for the interests of our country abroad, especially its com¬ 
mercial interests. It may be regarded, and perhaps it should be regarded, as 
part of that dollar diplomacy which has come to tl^e front so strongly under the 
leadership of President Taft and Secretary Knox. 

But it is certain that until men may make the Consular Service a career for 
which they may qualify themselves by travel and study and experience, we 
shall not have a service that compares at all well with our rivals, and the busi¬ 
ness of American industry will suffer in proportion, as it has heretofore. 

Much improvement has been made in practice. It is time now that public 
opinion, being more enlightened, shall virtually compel Congress to take a for¬ 
ward step so as to put the service on a permanent basis of merit and honor. 
Where that is done it will be no longer true that our Consular Service is inferior 
to that of England or France or Germany. 

In native endowment our officials surpass those of any other nation, but 
the shiftings of politics, the necessities sometimes of pull, and other things 
which are too well known to need mention, affect the service to its very serious 
harm The Sulzer bill is planned to remove all the objections which have pre¬ 
vailed heretofore and to work a change of the highest benefit to the Nation. 



26 


IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


tEflttoria.3 from the Argus, Albany, N. Y., Mar 18, 1912.] 

THE DIPLOMATIC SERVICE. 

It is a common knowledge that admission to the diplomatic service of the 
United States depends to a considerable extent on social influence. If a young 
man is backed by wealth and society he stands an excellent chance of being 
made a secretary of legation, and his promotion thereafter also depends much on 
this same backing. He may not be fitted for the position, but that makes little 
difference. There was a time when even our consuls got their posts princi¬ 
pally to gratify the social ambitions of their wives, but there has been of late 
years some improvement in this direction. 

Representative Sulzer, of New York, of the House Committee on Foreign 
Affairs, has introduced in Congress a bill designed to make appointments to 
and promotions in the diplomatic service dependent more on merit than social 
influence. Such a measure has long been needed, and it is to be hoped that 
it will become a law. It provides for a rigid examination of applicants for 
admission to the service, and debars anyone who can not pass it. Then, too, 
after a man gets into the service a record of his work will be kept, and, if 
his name is sent up for promotion, the Secretary of State will be required to 
put before the President a statement of his record, and to make it public. The 
bill proposes that the positions in the diplomatic service be graded into classes, 
and a salary fixed for each class, so that there can be no favoritism. Mr. 
Sulzer would have a board of examiners to pass upon all applicants for admis¬ 
sion to the service, and one member of the board he would have a member of 
the Civil Service Commission. 

If this plan becomes operative, it will result not only in a more efficient diplo¬ 
matic service, but will give ambitious young men of ability, who may not have 
social or financial backing, an opportunity to enter the Government service that 
is now denied them. The bill is based on simple fairness, and is thoroughly 
in line with the principles of true democracy. 


[Editorial from the Gazette, Altoona, Pa., Mar. 15, 1912.] 


TO EXTEND COMMERCE. 

It is refreshing to recognize the fact that not everybody about the National 
Halls of Legislation are engaged in playing politics and that there are those 
who are giving some attention to the promotion of projects to improve the 
commercial and industrial conditions of the Nation. 

Among the bills recently introduced, is one by Representative Sulzer, of New 
York, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, whose aim is to ex¬ 
tend the commerce of the United States with foreign countries and to develop 
an efficient foreign service, capable of rendering substantial assis.ance to 
American manufacturers and exporters. 

Mr. Sulzer is a Democrat, but he works in entire harmony with the adminis¬ 
tration so far as concerns trade matters and general foreign affairs, believing 
that these should not be the subject of party differences. The bill referred to 
has the cordial approval of the State Department, being in harmony with the 
recommendations of the President and Secretary of State. 

The bill embodies the principles for which the commercial organizations of 
the country have been contending for years, and it proposes to take all diplo¬ 
matic and consular appointments out of politics and base them entirely on fit¬ 
ness. Undoubtedly our country has failed to get its fair share of trade, in 
many instances, because of the inefficiency of our consular representatives, 
compared with those of other nations, trained especially for that service. 
President Taft strongly recommended legislation of this character in one of 
his messages, and no doubt he hopes that Mr. Sulzer will be able to secure the 
support of a majority of the Members of the House for the passage of his bill. 



IMPROVEMENT OE THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


27 


[Editorial from the Star-Journal, Pueblo, Colo., Mar. 14, 1912.] 
IMPROVEMENT OF AMERICAN CONSULAR SERVICE IS NEEDED. 

Improvement of the United States Consular Service so that it may become 
a more effective agency for promoting American interests and American trade 
has been agitated for years, and efforts have been made at various times to 
bring about this improvement by proper legislation, but attempts to make 
efficiency and competency supplant the political system of appointment have 
been failures. Another effort to place the service on a higher plane is being 
made through the introduction of a bill by Congressman Sulzer of New York. 
The measure has the approval of the State Department and the President 
because it follows along lines advocated by the department. 

The State Department is making an active effort to secure the passage of 
the Sulzer bill, and as part of the propaganda in its favor the Star-Journal 
is in receipt of a letter from Huntington Wilson, Acting Secretary of State, 
who says: “This bill is similar to that before the last Congress and known 
as the Lowden bill. Its enactment would give legislative sanction to the ex¬ 
isting executive regulations governing appointments and promotions in the 
Diplomatic and Consular Service, make permanent the great improvement 
already brought about, and lay the foundation for still further improvement 
in the future. The Sulzer bill is in harmony with the recommendations of 
the President and of the Secretary of State, and embodies the principles for 
which the commercial organizations of the country have been contending for 
a number of years.” 

Under the Sulzer bill provision is made for appointments to the service by 
the President, with the sanction of the Senate, as at present, but provision is 
made for the holding of examinations to secure an eligible list. The Secretary 
of State is required to keep a record of the services of each person in the 
service, and promotions will be based upon this record, efficiency being the only 
basis for promotion, as the consideration of the political affiliations of candi¬ 
dates is prohibited. The bill also provides for the grading of positions, and 
under it all appointments would be made by grade instead of to specified posts, 
as at present. The constitutional provision requiring the concurrence of the 
Senate to make appointments in the Diploma'ic and Consular Service is pre¬ 
served and provision for an examining board is made. 

Congressman Sulzer. author of the bill, is chairman of the Committee on 
Foreign Affairs and one of the leading Democrats of the House. The bill is 
a result of his long experience in Congress and his recognition of the fact 
that reform is needed to bring about the best results for this country. His bill 
would put the Diplomatic and Consular Service on a level with that of other 
countries and enable the United States to build up a service equal to that of 
England and Germany, where the men are especially trained for this im¬ 
portant service. Foreign countries have well-trained diplomatic bodies be¬ 
cause they select men especially qualified for the positions and keep them 
in the service for years, giving promotion when promotion is deserved. In 
the United States the service is regarded as the legitimate spoils of politics 
and too many appointments are made as a reward for political services. Many 
good men are secured under the system, but their services are lost to the 
country through changes in administration and at a time when they are be¬ 
coming of great value to the country. 

Greater permanency is needed in the service, and the only way to achieve 
this is to eliminate the political factor and make merit the base of the diplo¬ 
matic structure. American trade conditions depend largely upon the worth 
and work of the Consular Service, and if this country is to compete success¬ 
fully with its foreign rivals the service must be placed upon the highest possible 
plane. Under the present system men peculiarly qualified to hold positions 
are barred because they lack political influence. There is no incentive to 
aspire to these positions because of the uncertain tenure of office, but with 
the introduction of the reforms advocated by Congressman Sulzer and the 
State Department the field is opened to ambitious young men. who will be 
enabled to enter the service and by their application and attention to duties 
place themselves in position to attain the highest positions in the gift of the de¬ 
partment. With a few years of trial of the new system its worth would be 
demonstrated. Congress "owes it to the commercial interests and to the whole 
country to make the Sulzer bill a law and thus put the United States on an 
equality with the leading nations of the world. 


28 


IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


[Editorial from the Times-Star, Cincinnati, Ohio, Mar. 15, 1912.] 

THE DIPLOMATIC AND CONSULAR SERVICE. 

Any plan tliat lias for its purpose the making of the Diplomatic and Consular 
Service more useful, if perhaps less ornamental, merits and will receive general 
commendation. 

The provisions that were contained in the Lowden bill, which was before the 
last Congress, have been incorporated in the pending House measure known as 
the Sulzer bill. This bill seeks to give legislative sanction to existing executive 
regulations concerning appointments and promotions in the service. It will give 
permanency to the reforms that have already been brought about and will lay 
the foundation for still further reforms. 

“ Dollar diplomacy,” in all that the phrase signifies, has come to be mosi 
popular with the people of this country. They accept it as expressing a deter¬ 
mination to employ the Diplomatic and Consular Service in building up the for¬ 
eign trade. So much more has been accomplished in this direction since the 
policy of recognizing actual merit in making appointments and promotions was 
adopted that the proposal to make this policy a lasting one could not but meef 
with favor. 


[Editorial from the Chronicle Telegraph, Pittsburgh, Pa., Mar. 15, 1912.] 

CONSULAR SERVICE BILLS. 

Two bills providing for improvement of the Consular Service are pending in 
Congress, the Nelson-Foss bill and the Sulzer bill. Discussing the merits of 
these measures, the Chicago News declares emphatically for the former, which, 
in addition to being backed by the National Business League, has the advan¬ 
tage—so regarded in Chicago—of being practically a Chicago product. The 
Sulzer bill is dismissed by the News as a “ politician’s milk-and-water meas¬ 
ure,” which is “merely permissive in its nature and is not well calculated to 
meet the needs of the situation.” 

Careful examination of the Sulzer bill, which happens to be the measure 
favored by the State Department, does not bear out the contemptuous estimate 
of our Chicago contemporary. There is visibly no warrant for condemning as 
ineffective a bill which provides specifically that all appointments of secretaries 
in the Diplomatic Service and of consuls general and consuls shall be to grades 
instead of to places; that efficiency shall be the sole basis of promotion; that 
the President shall be kept informed of the relative efficiency of candidates for 
promotion; that efficiency records be kept; that examining boards be legally 
established and the scope and frequency of examinations legally determined; 
and that the reports of the examining boards be in writing and be published. 

The object of the Sulzer bill is to put the Consular Service on the same basis 
as the Army in the matter of appointments and promotions, and its provisions 
seem well calculated to insure the attainment of this end. The interest of the 
State Department in the measure could not be otherwise explained, since it is 
from that department that the demand for improvement emanates, and it is 
especially to the advantage of that department that the improvement should be 
genuine and effectual. 


[Editorial from the Democrat and Chronicle, Rochester. N. Y., Mar. 16, 1912.] 
DIPLOMATIC AND CONSULAR SERVICE. 

There is pending in the House of Representatives at Washington a bill 
introduced by Representative Sulzer, of New York, that has for one object the 
improvement of the Diplomatic and Consular Service of the United States. Mr. 
Sulzer is chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, and his bill 
meets the wishes of the Department of State. It is similar to the measure 
known as the Lowden bill, which was before the Sixty-first Congress. 

The Department of State desires to give legislative sanction to the existing 
executive regulations governing appointments and promotions in the Diplomatic 
and Consular Service, make permanent the great improvement already brought 
about, and lay the foundation for still further improvement. The bill em- 




IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 29 

bodies the principles for which the commercial organizations of the country 
have been contending for several years. 

If the Sulzer bill should be enacted, the consideration of political affiliations 
of candidates would be prohibited, it would be necessary to pass an examina¬ 
tion to get an appointment, and efficiency would be the only basis for pro¬ 
motion. Orderly promotion would be made possible by the grading of diplo¬ 
matic secretaryships. There are other provisions, all of which would aid in 
making the Diplomatic and Consular Service of the United States what it 
should be—the best in the world. 

# It is to be hoped that in the examinations the Department of State will in¬ 
sist upon a thorough knowledge of the English language by every candidate, 
both in speaking and writing. In examinations it is often assumed that if 
a candidate has an exhaustive knowledge of the technology of the position 
he desires his knowledge of the language will be sufficient for all needs, as, 
of course, every American knows his native language. Unfortunately, every 
American does not. Returning to the main theme, the Sulzer bill should be 
passed. The legislation is needed, and. being asked for, should be enacted. 


[Editorial from the Outlook, New York, Mar. 30, 1912.] 

THE CIVIL SERVICE AND FOREIGN APPOINTMENTS. 

Last year Mr. Lowden introduced a bill into the House of Representatives 
to confirm by law that which now exists only by virtue of Executive order— 
that is to say, the necessity of examinations as precedent to appointments to 
the lowest grades of the Diplomatic and Consular Services and the promotion in 
those services by efficiency. Mr. Lowden’s bill, we regret to say, did not pass. 
It has now been reintroduced in practically the same form by Mr. Sulzer, chair¬ 
man of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. If the bill passes it will be 
impossible for a reactionary President to appoint applicants as a reward for 
party services unless they stand the test of an examination, or, in the case of 
some inefficient favorite already in the service, to overlook the principle of effi¬ 
ciency as the only basis for promotion. If Members of Congress do not yet real¬ 
ize the moral value of thus affirming the merit system they should be able to 
understand that such a service permanently established by law would be of 
indubitable assistance to our manufacturers and exporters in extending their 
foreign trade. For years manufacturers and exporters have contended for this 
system. Hence, when the Acting Secretary of State invokes, as he has done, 
the support of the commercial organizations of the country for the bill now 
before the House he makes an appeal which must inevitably touch very many 
commercial interests. 


[Editorial from the Dispatch, Columbus, Ohio, Mar. 16, 1912.] 

CONSULAR APPOINTMENTS BY MERIT. 

The effort of Mr. Sulzer, chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, 
to secure appointments to the foreign service solely on merit is to be com¬ 
mended. It is an expression of the desire of business men for a business service, 
as well as of officials and all others who believe that the Government ought to 
get what it pays for. Besides, if the pending bill is passed, it will give statutory 
support and stability to the present practice of the State and Treasury Depart¬ 
ments. 

If the bill becomes a law, there will be an end, so far as the foreign service is 
concerned, of the spoils system of appointments and promotions. The examina¬ 
tions will be legally established and the test of efficiency will be applied to all 
aspirants, none of whom will be admitted or denied admission to the service be¬ 
cause of partisan affiliation. Secretaries, consular officers, and departmental 
officers will always, in the first instance, go to their places, or, later, will be 
transferred or promoted because of their capability for the work to which 
they are sent. Asa result, the country will be more respected abroad and com¬ 
mercial intercourse will be promoted. What we may at any time learn of condi¬ 
tions abroad through the agency of an earnest and intelligent consular corps 
is illustrated in the reports that have for some years been made and by the 
special reports on the cost of living which have just been summarized by the 
President and transmitted to Congress for its guidance in legislation. 




30 


IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


[Editorial from the Evening Post, New York City, Mar. 23, 1912.] 

So many benefits would flow from the passage of the bill now under consider¬ 
ation by the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House to improve the organiza¬ 
tion of our Consular and Diplomatic Service that there ought to be no doubt of 
its passage during the present session of Congress. Nor is it only the inherent 
merits of the bill that encourage the hope that this will actually happen. 
Toward the state of things which the bill proposes to establish in a systematic 
way, there has now been for a series of years a steady approach in the actual 
practice of the State Department. Transfers and promotions within the serv¬ 
ice, on the basis of experience and proved ability, have, in an increasingly large 
proportion of cases, taken the place of the old method of haphazard appoint¬ 
ment from outside, and of selection as a matter of personal favor or partisan 
reward. The essential feature of the bill is indicated in its first section: 

“ That the President may make all appointments of secretaries in the Diplo¬ 
matic Service and of consuls general and consuls to grades instead of places, 
subject to the advice and consent of the Senate in each case.” 

Then follow sections prescribing the system of reports on efficient service, 
and of examinations as to qualifications, which are to form the basis of the 
organization of this graded service, as well as a definition of the grades them¬ 
selves and the accompanying salaries. To make an appointment in the Con¬ 
sular or Diplomatic Service the stepping-stone to a career, as well as to secure 
fairly qualified appointees in the first place and to eliminate the spoils factor, 
is the object of the scheme; and so far have we got ahead that probably not a 
man will be found in Congress to attack the carefully thought-out method of 
examination proposed by trotting out any of the ancient jokes that used to be 
such favorities with the “ practical ” men. 


[Editorial from the Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wis., Mar. 21, 1912.] 

“DOLLAR DIPLOMACY.” 

There have been sneering allusions in some quarters of late to “dollar diplo¬ 
macy.” Under the caption, “ Governmental promotion of commerce,” the New 
York Journal of Commerce publishes an article seemingly calculated to make 
level-headed Americans resent these sneers. 

The article begins by observing that, as a general proposition, it may be 
safely affirmed that the more interest the executive departments of the Govern¬ 
ment of the United States take in the promotion of the commerce of the Nation 
the better they will discharge their duty to the people. It goes on to declare 
that when the Acting Secretary of State invokes the support of the commercial 
organizations of the land for the bill introduced by Representative Sulzer with 
the declared purpose of improving the foreign service, he makes an appeal 
which touches a wide range of business and industrial interests. 

Why should not the business and industrial progress of the country be an 
especial concern of its diplomatic and consular representatives? As for the 
latter branch of the foreign service, is not the fostering of those interests legiti¬ 
mately one of the leading reasons why it is maintained? 

Referring to the suggestion of the Acting Secretary of State, the Journal of 
Commerce adds: 

“ Germany is, of course, the standing illustration of the affiliation of business 
organizations with the Government, and the claim has been confidently made 
that the development of the business of the United States has been seriously 
impeded by a lack of such coordination of effort. Be that as it may, there can 
be no question about the value of providing a kind of national clearing house 
for the development and expression of business opinion, and for insuring united 
action upon questions of common interest in every part of the country.” 

The Sulzer bill is intended to give legislative sanction to the existing Execu¬ 
tive regulations governing appointments and promotions in the Diplomatic and 
Consular Service, to make permanent the great improvement already effected, 
and to lay the foundation for further improvement in the future—in short, to 
head off the danger of letting the Consular Service relapse into the old vicious 



IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


31 


ruts of partisan politics. It deserves the support of the Members of Congress, 
irrespective of faction or party. The same thing may be said of the effort of 
the Secretary of Commerce and Labor, cooperating with President Taft, to in¬ 
duce the commercial bodies of the country to form a national organization of a 
representative character to which the executive officers of the Government 
could turn for advice and guidance in matters relating to trade and industry. 

The Secretary of Commerce and Labor has called a meeting of the representa¬ 
tive commercial and industrial associations of the United States for April 15 
in the city of Washington. It is to be hoped that the meeting will be well 
attended and will result in organization which will aid the Government in the 
efficient pursuit of the right kind of “ dollar diplomacy.” 


[Editorial from the Sandusky Register, Wednesday, Mar. 20, 1912.] 

OUR GROWING FOREIGN COMMERCE. 

Attention has been repeatedly called in these columns to the extension of the 
commerce of the United States with foreign countries and the possibilities 
which are opening up for American manufactures and American products in 
countries with which heretofore the United States has had but little trade. 
The extension and permanent maintenance of our foreign commerce depend 
primarily upon an efficient foreign service, a corps of consuls, secretaries, and 
agents capable of rendering valuable information and substantial assistance at 
all times to American manufacturers and exporters and who encourage by 
every legitimate means possible our trade relations with the peoples of other 
lands. 

More has been accomplished in this direction during the three years of Presi¬ 
dent Taft’s administration than in any like former period, but if this policy 
is to be successfully continued the Government’s service in the foreign field must 
be strengthened and its efficiency steadily improved. A bill to this end has 
just been introduced in the lower House of Congress by Mr. Sulzer of New York, 
chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and it ought to pass. It is 
very much similar to the Lowden bill which was before the last Congress and 
which attracted a good deal of attention among manufacturers and shippers. 
In brief, the bill, which is recorded as House bill No. 20044, gives legislative 
sanction to existing Executive regulations governing appointments and promo¬ 
tions in the Diplomatic and Consular Service, makes permanent the improve¬ 
ment of the service already brought about, and lays the foundation for still 
further improvement. The bill is in entire accord with the recommendations 
which President Taft and Secretary of State Knox have made and embodies 
the principles for which the commercial organizations throughout the country 
have been contending for some years past. Its enactment would remove con¬ 
sideration of the political affiliations of candidates for the Diplomatic and Con¬ 
sular Service, and successful passing of the prescribed examinations would then 
be legally and rightfully recognized as the first and most important prerequi¬ 
site for appointments. It also makes efficiency the basis for promotion, and not 
a political pull, and only those who show efficiency through examination for 
appointments would be brought to the attention of the President when recom¬ 
mendations are made for appointments for promotions or transfers. The bill 
compels the keeping of efficiency records for all officers and employees of the 
Department of State. In other words, it makes a real civil service vital, and 
in no department of the Government is it more needed than in the Diplomatic 
and Consular Service. It also enlarges the scope and frequency of examina¬ 
tions, gives them legal status, and makes possible the grading of diplomatic 
secretaryships, while at the same time it retains the constitutional provision 
which requires the concurrence of the Senate in making the appointments. 
Provision is made for equitable representation in the foreign service by the 
States and Territories, with publication of the representation at the close of 
each examination. 

The Sulzer bill, should it become a law, would establish the merit system 
in our Diplomatic and Consular Service and would be a long step toward not 
only the maintenance but the enlargement of our commerce with other countries, 
with some of which the United States has never come into its own. 



32 


IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


[Editorial from the Record-Herald, Chicago, Ill., Mar. 19, 1912.] 

THE TWO FOREIGN-SERVICE BILLS. 

Two bills for the improvement of the Diplomatic and Consular Service of 
the United States are before Congress. The one introduced by Representative 
Sulzer, chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, is indorsed by Hunting- 
ton Wilson, Acting Secretary of State, in a circular letter. Mr. Wilson says 
the bill “ is in harmony with the recommendations of the President and of the 
Secretary of State.” 

This bill provides “ that the President may make all appointments of secre¬ 
taries in the Diplomatic Service and of consuls general and consuls to grades 
instead of places, subject to the advice and consent of the Senate in each case.” 
The word “ may ” is used instead of “ shall.” 

The Nelson-Foss bill, championed by Senator Nelson and Representative Foss, 
is more advanced and much stronger. “ What would the President do about it? ” 
is the natural question in considering the Sulzer bill. One President might 
bring about genuine civil service under its provisions; another might not. The 
commercial interests favor the better bill. 

In view of the crying need of an effective merit system in the Diplomatic and 
Consular Service, there ought not to be any “ may ” in the vital clauses of the 
bill that becomes a law. 


[Editorial from the Dispatch, Columbus, Ohio, Mar. 25, 1912.] 

LIGHT ON “ DOLLAR DIPLOMACY.” 

“ Dollar diplomacy,” is the opprobrious name for the effort at Washington to 
improve the Diplomatic and Consular Service and make it a real help in the 
extension of international trade. That seems laudable and unobjectionable, 
but it may be understood why some persons sneer at it when it is understood 
that to accomplish that end it is proposed to provide for the appointment to the 
service, not of party and personal favorites, but persons whose fitness for the 
work has been determined by an examination. 

The Sulzer bill now pending thus limits appointments of secretaries in the 
Diplomatic Service, consuls general, and consuls, and provides for examinations 
including business experience and ability, the resources and commerce of the 
United States, with special reference to the development of export trade, inter¬ 
national, commercial, and maritime law, and history. American history, gov¬ 
ernment, and institutions, and one language other than English. 

Should the bill pass a number of things would be insured. Consideration of 
the political affiliations of candidates would be prohibited; the successful pass¬ 
ing of a prescribed examination would be legally recognized as a prerequisite 
for foreign-service appointments, and efficiency would be the only basis of pro¬ 
motion. There would be created a corps of public servants who would be effi¬ 
cient and helpful in the extension of trade and who, by aiding the producers of 
all commodities marketable abroad, would help all whom the producers employ 
and, directly or indirectly, add to the business prosperity of the country. 

Is that what the people want? Or do they prefer the old style of service 
to which persons were appointed in return for election favors so that they 
might travel or study abroad and generally have a good time at public expense? 
It is true that there has not been a great deal of this inefficient service lately, 
but the reform as yet stands only on an Executive order. The purpose of the 
Sulzer bill is to give the new system permanency and make possible its im¬ 
provement. 

The “ dollar diplomacy ” phrase is the sneer of the incompetents and the 
frivolous. Nobody who thinks far will be fooled by it. 

Maritime Exchange, 

New York City, April 3, 1912. 

Hon. William Sulzer, 

Chairman Committee on Foreign Affairs , House of Representatives. 

Dear Sir : Referring to your favor of the 25th ultimo and to my reply thereto 
under date of March 29, I have now to advise you that the law committee of 
this association, to which committee the matter was referred, have reported 
favorably on your bill (H. R. 20044) for the improvement of the foreign service. 



IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


33 


As you are, of course, aware, this association, from the nature of its mem- 
bership, composed as it is of representatives of practically all the leading steam¬ 
ship lines, importer, and exporters, etc., at this port, is vitally interested in the 
Diplomatic and Consular Service, and any measures for its improvement will 
receive our hearty support. 

Your bill (H. R. 20044), if enacted into law, would result in placing the 
Diplomatic and Consular Service at a high state of efficiency and, we believe, 
would greatly aid the work of the embassies and consulates abroad, thereby 
facilitating the prompt transaction of the business which the members of this 
association must necessarily have with these offices. 

We therefore respectfully petition for the prompt enactment of H. R. 20044 
into law. 

Respectfully, Milland U. Taylor, 

President. 


Chamber of Commerce of the State of New York, 

New York, April 3, 1912. 

Hon. William Sulzer, 

Chairman Committee on Foreign Affairs, House of Representatives. 

Dear Sir : Replying to your letter of recent date, the chamber of commerce 
will, at its meeting to-morrow, indorse the bill to which you refer. It is a good 
bill, and I congratulate you upon the good work you are doing. 

Very truly, yours, 


A. B. Hepburn, President. 


Chicago, March 21, 1912. 

Hon. William Sulzer, 

Chairman House Committee on Foreign Affairs. 

Dear Sir : I have the honor to inclose herewith copy of preamble and resolu¬ 
tions adopted by the board of directors of this board upon the subject of con¬ 
sular and diplomatic services of the United States, and trust that the same may 
have your distinguished support. 

Very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

Geo. F. Stone, 

Secretary Board of Trade of the City of Chicago. 

I Copy of resolutions adopted by the board of directors of the Board of Trade of the City 

of Chicago.] 

Whereas the American Consular and Diplomatic Services are of great impor¬ 
tance to the mercantile, manufacturing, and financial interests of the United 
States; and 

Whereas upon the character and efficiency of those services depends, to a large 
extent, the expansion of our foreign trade; and 
Whereas to give such services the efficiency demanded by a forceful and world¬ 
wide competition, they should be conducted absolutely upon the merit sys¬ 
tem and independent of mere political preferences; and 
Whereas legislation affecting business interests should be definite, practical, 
and not lacking the essential element of permanence; and not subject, there¬ 
fore, to the vacillations incident to politics: Therefore be it 
Resolved, That the board of directors of the Board of Trade of the City of 
Chicago respectfully petition that the Congress of the United States enact such 
legislation as in its judgment will establish the Consular and Diplomatic 
Services of the country upon a sound business basis; and be it further 
Resolved, That a copy of the above preamble and resolution be sent to Presi¬ 
dent Taft; Vice President Sherman; lion. Champ Clark, Speaker of the House 
of Representatives; Hon. Franklin MaeVeagh, Secretary of the Treasury: and 
Hon. Philander C. Knox, Secretary of State. 

Frank M. Bunch, President, 

Walter S. Blowney, Assistant Secretary, 

Board of Trade of the City of Chicago. 


H. Rept. 840. 62-2-3 





34 


IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


Norwich, Conn., March 23, 1912. 


Hon. William Sulzer, 

Chairman Committee on Foreign Relations, Washington, D. C. 


Dear Sir : I beg to acknowledge your kind and very prompt reply to my letter 
and to say that it seems impracticable for me to appear and speak before your 
committee, as otherwise I would like to do. 

The sheet with which you accompany the copy of the bill, stating summarily 
what the enactment of the Sulzer bill insures, is to the point in every clause. 

As an occasional and observant traveler abroad in former years; as one 
having had more or less business in foreign lands; and as one frequently in 
correspondence, personally and by letter, with those of better opportunities for 
observation than my own, I am convinced: 

First. That the old system of appointment to diplomatic and consular posi¬ 
tion, based on the doctrine of political reward, gives the absolute minimum of 
efficiency with the absolute maximum of expense. 

Second. That under said system our Nation has been put to extreme disad¬ 
vantage as compared with other and competing nations, as to the relative equip¬ 
ment, capacity, and influence of our diplomatic and consular representatives 
the world over. 

Third. That the tentative examinations and rules established in the State 
Department have measurably and very visibly improved the service. 

Fourth. That your bill, if it becomes law, will still further improve it, 
strengthening points now weak and elevating the tone and the efficiency of the 
service to a degree which will be quickly recognized and appreciated by every 
American citizen who travels or does business outside his own land. In that 
way it will greatly help the business of our citizens throughout the world. 

Thanking you for your very courteous letter, 

I am, dear sir, very respectfully, yours, 


Wm. A. Aikens. 


Portsmouth, Ohio., March 22, 1912. 

Hon. William Sulzer, 

House of Representatives, Washington, D. C. 

Dear Sir: We desire to have you know that we are in favor of bill (H. R. 
20044) relating to the American Diplomatic and Consular Service, and are 
anxious to see it adopted and hope you will see your way clear to favor it. 
Yours, very truly, 

The Selby Shoe Co. 
New York, March 23, 1912. 

Hon. Whuiam Sulzer, 

House of Representatives, Washington, D. C. 

My Dear Sir: Allow me to thank you for introducing the admirable bill 
20044 for the improvement of the Foreign Diplomatic Service. I hope sincerely 
that the bill may speedily be reported by the committee and may be passed 
at the present Congress. 

I am satisfied from some personal observation that the steps which have 
already been taken by the State Department in the direction of this bill, have 
greatly improved our Consular and Diplomatic Service. This bill will extend 
these improvements and give them a more permanent character. 

Allow me to say that in introducing and presenting the bill you are rendering 
an important public service. 

Faithfully, yours, Everett P. Wheeler. 


Hon. William Sulzer, 

Washington, D. C. 


Newark, N. J., March 23, 1912. 


Dear Sir: By a unanimous vote at the regular meeting of this body, at 
which 150 business men were present, the provisions of H. R. 20044, introduced 
by Hon. William Sulzer, was accorded full indorsement, and it was voted to 
petition for its enactment at this session. 

It was voted to communicate with the Members of the House and Senate 
from New Jersey to urge their cooperation and to request their support in favor 
of its enactment. 

Respectfully, Board of Trade of the City of Newark. 

Jas. M. Kelley, Secretary. 




IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


35 


Massachusetts State Board of Trade, 

Boston, March 23, 1912. 

Hon. William Sulzer, 

Chairman Committee on Foreign Affairs. 

Dear Sir : At a meeting of tlie Massachusetts State Board of Trade in execu¬ 
tive council held March 13, 1912, the following vote was unanimously passed: 

“ Voted, that the Massachusetts State Board of Trade, being especially inter¬ 
ested in the improvement and extension of the commerce of the United States 
with foreign countries and in the development of an efficient foreign service 
capable of rendering substantial assistance to American manufacturers and 
exporters, approves of the passage of House bill No. 20044, which it believes 
will lay the foundation for still further improvement in the future, and it asks 
the hearty cooperation of the Massachusetts Senators and Representatives in 
the effort to secure the passage of this bill.” 

Yours, very truly, Richard L. Gay, Secretary. 


State Civil Service Commission, 

Chicago, March 1, 1912. 

Hon. William Sulzer, 

Chairman Committee on Foreign Affairs, 

House of Representatives, Washington, D. C. 

Dear Sir: As a citizen who is interested in the improvement of the public 
service, and especially the foreign service, I should like to urge the report and 
passage of H. R. 20044, introduced by yourself. I should probably go much 
further than your bill provides, as I thoroughly believe in the competitive 
system of selecting public officials. I believe, however, that it is of great 
importance to the foreign service that some such measure as you have intro¬ 
duced should be enacted. 

Yours, very truly, W. B. Moulton. 


The Manufacturers’ Club, 

Terre Haute, Ind., March 16, 1912. 

Hon. William Sulzer, 

Dear Sir : At a meeting of the Terre Haute Manufacturers’ Club held March 
14, 1912, your bill (H. R. 2044) for the improvement of the foreign service 
was read,' discussed, and unanimously approved. The hope was generally 
expressed that you may secure its enactment into law. 

Respectfully, 

Wm. C. Ball, Secretary. 


Cushing, Siddall & Palmer, 
Cleveland, Ohio, February 28, 1912. 

Hon. William Sulzer, 

Chairman Committee on Foreign Affairs, 

House of Representatives, Washington, D. C. 

Dear Sir : I have seen copy of House bill 20044, entitled “A bill for the im¬ 
provement of the foreign service,” introduced by yourself and referred to your 
committee. I am very much in sympathy with the purpose and provisions of 
the bill, and respectfully urge with earnestness its report and passage. 

Yours, respectfully, 

Wm. E. Cushing. 


Boston, February 29, 1912. 

Hon. William Sulzer, 

Chairman Committee on Foreign Affairs, Washington, D. C. 

Dear Sir: I desire to approve and urge the report and passage of House 
bill 20044, placing the secretaries of the Diplomatic Service and the consuls 
in the classified service. I have felt for a long time that the provisions of 
the civil service should be embodied in law rather than subject to Executive 
order, which later may be annulled or suspended at any time. I hope at some 
future time the consent of the Senate may not be necessary in the case of 
officers selected under the civil-service provisions. 

Yours, truly, 

Samuel Y. Nash, 

Vice President and Chairman Executive Committee, 

Massachusetts Reform Club. 






36 


IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


Boston, February 27, 1912. 

Hon. William Sulzer, 

Chairman Committee on Foreign Affairs, 

House of Representatives, Washington, D. C. 

Dear Sir: I can not too strongly hope for and urge the passage of H. R. 
20044. 

Yours, sincerely, Howard Guild. 


[Preamble and resolution adopted by the National Civil Service Reform League at a meet¬ 
ing of its council held January 27, 1912.] 

Whereas it appears from an investigation made by the secretary of this league 
at Washington that the result of the Executive orders of June 27, 1906, and 
November 26, 1909, has been to confine new appointments to positions in the 
Consular and Diplomatic Services to persons whose qualifications are reason¬ 
ably tested by examination: 

Resolved, That, pending the time when the Consular and Diplomatic Services 
may be further improved by appointments as a result of competitive examina¬ 
tion, the council advocates the enactment of the Sulzer bill “ for the improve¬ 
ment of the foreign service,” which would enact into statute law and thus 
give stability to the existing Executive orders. 


New York City, February 27, 1912. 

Hon. William Sulzer, 

Chairman Committee on Foreign Affairs, 

House of Representatives. 

Dear Sir : I respectfully urge an early report and subsequent passage of your 
bill applying the merit system of appointment and tenure to all consular and 
diplomatic positions. 

I have been an ardent advocate of civil service reform methods for over 40 
years. 

Respectfully, yours, Silas W. Burt. 


New York, February 27, 1912. 

Hon. William Sulzer, 

Chairman Committee on Foreign Affairs, 

House of Representatives. 

Dear Sir: I sincerely hope that your committee may find it expedient to 
report and urge the passage of House bill No. 20044, for the improvement of the 
foreign service, introduced by Mr. Sulzer. 

Respectfully, Wm. G. Low. 


Philadelphia, February 27, 1912. 

Committee on Foreign Affairs, 

House of Representatives, Washington, D. C. 

Gentlemen : I beg leave to urge upon you the early and favorable report of 
the bill introduced by the Hon. Mr. Sulzer, the chairman of your committee, 
H. R. 20044, entitled “A bill for the improvement of the foreign service.” I 
am convinced of the value of this bill as drawn and of the great improvement 
that will be effected in our foreign service if it shall be adopted. 

Hoping for your favorable action, I am, 

Yours, respectfully, R. Francis Wood. 


The Washington Loan & Trust Co., 
Washington, D. C., February 27, 1912. 

Hon. William Sulzer, 

Chairman Committee on Foreign Affairs, 

House of Representatives. 


My Dear Mr. Sulzer: I am greatly interested in House bill No. 20044, in¬ 
troduced by you February 13, 1912, in regard to the appointments and trans¬ 
fers of secretaries and consuls in the Diplomatic and Consular Service. 







IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


37 


If the bill becomes a law, as I hope it will, the effect upon our foreign 
service will be, in my opinion, a great improvement, and, therefore, very 
desirable. 

I have traveled a great deal in foreign countries during the past 15 years, 
and have felt many times that the appointments made in the Diplomatic and 
Consular Service have too frequently not secured efficient service or reflected 
credit upon our Nation. 

Yours, very sincerely, j N0 . Joy Edson. 


Cincinnati, March 2, 1912. 

Hon. William Sulzer, 

Chairman Committee on Foreign Affairs, 

House of Representatives. 

Dear Sir: I ask you to urge the report and passage of H. R. 20044, en¬ 
titled “A bill for the improvement of foreign service.” The additions made in 
this bill to the Lowden bill would, I believe, add to the value of the legisla¬ 
tion. The enforcement of the Executive orders of June 27, 1906, and Novem¬ 
ber 26, 1909, has, I am informed, led to marked improvement in the caliber 
of the men appointed to the Diplomatic and Consular Service, and the enact¬ 
ment of these orders into law would give stability to the system created 
by them. 

Yours, respectfully, C. B. Wilby. 


Philadelphia, February 27, 1912. 

Hon. William Sulzer, 

Chairman Committee on Foreign Affairs, 

House of Representatives. 


Dear Sir : I have had an opportunity to examine your bill for the improve¬ 
ment of the foreign service—H. It. 20044—and I desire to express my approval of 
this measure and to urge the importance of its passage as promptly as possible. 

I believe the enactment of this bill will work a great improvement in our 
Diplomatic and Consular Service, and will, in the long run, do a great deal to 
establish and foster trade relations with foreign countries. 

Very truly, yours, 


Robert D. Jenks. 


Richmond, Ind., March 6, 1912. 

Hon. William Sulzer, 

Chairman Committee on Foreign Affairs, House of Representatives. 
Gentlemen : I have carefully examined the proposed bill of the House 
(20044) for the improvement of the foreign service, and in company, as I 
believe, with all those who earnestly desire the improvement of the service 
without reference to mere political advantage, I earnestly urge the report and 
passage of that bill as a measure of practical improvement which is sure to be 
productive of credit to our service abroad and of advantage to our commercial 
relations. 

Yours, truly, Wm. D. Foulke. 


Board of Trade of Kansas City. Mo., 

Kansas City, Mo., March 19, 1912. 

Hon. William Sulzer, M. C., 

Chairman Committee on Foreign Affairs, Washington, D. C. 

Dear Sir : The following resolutions were adopted by this board of trade at 

a recent meeting: 

Whereas in response to the growing demand on the part of the American people 
for the best service in all departments of national life, the President of the 
United States, by Executive orders, under date of June 27, 1906, and Novem¬ 
ber 26, 1909, applied civil-service principles to the Diplomatic and Consular 
Service; and 

Whereas sundry bills have been presented to Congress since 1906 for the enact¬ 
ment into law of the aforesaid Executive orders: Now, therefore, 






38 


IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


The Board of Trade of Kansas City, Mo., petitions the Congress of the 
United States to promptly enact a law which shall provide for the application 
of civil-service principles to the Diplomatic and Consular Service of the United 
States; and 

Further, That due consideration may be given the question of adequate pen¬ 
sions for the retired diplomatic and consular officers in order that men of high 
character and ability may be attracted to the responsible and honorable career 
of representing our country abroad and definitely adopting such service as their 
life work. 

Yours, respectfully, E. D. Bigelow, Secretary. 


Chamber of Commerce of the State of New York, 

Neio York, April 5, 1912 . 

Dear Sir : I take great pleasure in sending to you inclosed preamble and reso¬ 
lution adopted by the chamber of commerce at its meeting on Thursday, April 4, 
indorsing the Sulzer bill (H. It. 20044) for the further improvement of the 
Consular Service. 

Yours, very truly, Sereno S. Pratt, 

Secretary. 

Hon. William Sulzer, 

House of Representatives, Washington, D. C. 


Whereas the Sulzer bill (PI. R. 20044), entitled “A bill for the improvement of 
the foreign service,” is in harmony with the recommendations of President 
Taft and of his Secretary of State, and embodies the principles advocated by 
this chamber during many years; and 

Whereas it seeks to make permanent the great improvement already brought 
about in the Diplomatic and Consular Service, and to lay the foundation for 
further improvement in the future by giving legislative sanction to the 
existing executive regulations governing appointments and promotions in that 
service, thus increasing that efficiency necessary for the promotion of our 
foreign trade: Therefore be it 

Resolved, That the Chamber of Commerce of the State of New York heartily 
indorses House bill 20044 providing for examinations to test the fitness of per¬ 
sons seeking appointment and promotion in certain grades of the Diplomatic 
and Consular Service, and urges the Representatives of this State in both 
branches of Congress to give to the bill their earnest support. 


[Editorial from the Philadelphia Inquirer, March 14, 1912.] 

TO IMPROVE THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 

Representative Sulzer has introduced a bill “ for the improvement of the 
foreign service,” which responds to the requirements of the situation in view, 
which conforms to the recommendations of the President and the Secretary of 
State, and which ought without any undue delay be enacted into law. It is 
intended to increase and secure the efficiency of the Consular and Diplomatic 
Service by definitively taking it out of politics and establishing it upon a business 
basis. To this end it proposes that all appointments of secretaries in the Diplo¬ 
matic Service and of consuls general and consuls shall be made by the Presi¬ 
dent to grades instead of places, subject, of course, in every instance to the 
advice and consent of the Senate. To this end it directs the Secretary of State 
to report to the President from time to time the names of those who, on their 
records, deserve promotion, and also the names of such as shall upon examina¬ 
tion have proved their fitness for appointment to the lower grades. 

It provides for the organization of two examining boards, one for the diplo¬ 
matic department, to consist of an Assistant Secretary of State, a representa¬ 
tive of the Civil Service Commission, a law officer of the State Department, and 
of one other officer whom the Secretary of State is to name; and another for 
the Consular Service, to be composed of the administrator of the service, of the 





IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


39 


chiefs of the Consular and Trade Relations Bureaus, and of one other person 
to be designated by the Civil Service Commission. The examinations, which are 
to be held at least once a year, are to be comprehensive in their scope and prac¬ 
tical in their character. They are to be conducted with strict impartiality 
and without regard to the political or other affiliations of the candidate, and 
their result, which must be made public, is to be certified to the Secretary of 
State, who will in this way be furnished with a list of persons who have in the 
manner prescribed demonstrated their eligibility, from which to make his rec¬ 
ommendations. 

It will be understood that the object and effect of all this will be to base 
appointments on fitness instead of influence; to make sure that appointees shall 
be qualified to discharge their duties with a maximum measure of ability; and 
by removing them from the hazard of arbitrary removal and conditioning their 
advancement exclusively on merit, to convert employment in the two services in 
question into a career which will attract and retain a superior class of men. 
There is no room for two opinions as to the great desirability of this reform. 
A beginning in its achievement has already been made through the spontaneous 
and voluntary initiative of the President and of the State Department. It has 
been felt that the foreign interests of the United States could only be properly 
protected and promoted through the instrumentality of trained men holding 
their offices on good behavior and assured of a promotion in accordance with 
their deserts; and to an important degree the principle which the Sulzer bill 
embodies has been successfully applied. 

At present, however, the continuance of the reformed system rests entirely 
with the Executive, and the desideratum is to give it the sanction and the bind¬ 
ing force of law. This will be accomplished by the passage of the present 
measure, and in this way the United States will secure an equipment for the 
development of its foreign trade comparable with that possessed by every first- 
class European power, an equipment which is indispensable to the acquisition 
by this country of its due share of business in the markets of the world. 


[Editorial from the Brooklyn Eagle, March 13, 1912.] 

CUSTOM SHOULD BE MADE PERMANENT. 

The Eagle discharges a very agreeable duty in commending the bill recently 
introduced in the House of Representatives by Chairman William Sulzer, of 
the Committee on Foreign Affairs. The object of this measure is to give legis¬ 
lative sanction to methods already in force, covering appointments to the Diplo¬ 
matic Service below the grades of ambassador and minister. Mr. Roosevelt 
and Mr. Taft have both adhered to the principle that these appointments should 
be made for demonstrated fitness only; that appointments should be first 
to grades and then to places, and that experience and good service in inferior 
positions should automatically assure to the incumbents promotion to superior 
and higher salaried positions. 

What is now the custom should become a law. Until law supplants custom 
there is no assurance that future Presidents will feel themselves bound by 
the example of Mr. Taft and his predecessor. The prevailing method ignores 
the political affiliations of candidates, provides for the passing of prescribed 
examinations, and aims to make efficiency the only basis for advancement. The 
ultimate effect of this custom, since made permanent by law, would be to build 
up a diplomatic service alike creditable to the Nation, and a source of sub¬ 
stantial advantage to merchants doing business with foreign countries, and 
requiring in that relation the advice of intelligent and well-trained diplomatic 
agents. Every great nation in the world except the United States long ago made 
diplomacy a profession, instead of a mere political game. The Sulzer bill 
would permanently raise it to the dignity of a profession and assure the filling 
of its places with men conspicuously qualified to fill them. 


[Editorial from Harper’s Weekly, March 23, 1912.] 

TO IMPROVE THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 

Mr. Sulzer’s bill “ for the improvement of the foreign service,” introduced in 
the House on February 13, is one in which readers of the Weekly are likely 
to be interested, and will perhaps join us in urging upon the attention of Con¬ 
gress. By the reorganization act of 1906 Congress classified the posts of the 




40 


IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


Consular Service in nine grades of consulates and six grades of consulates 
general, abolishing compensation by fees, substituting salaries ranging from 
$2,000 to $12,000, and provided a corps of five consular inspectors who inspect 
every post at intervals of two years. 

This bill was good as far as it went, but made no provision for appointments 
to the service or tenure in office. In June, 1006, President Roosevelt, by an 
Executive order, promulgated regulations for admission to the consular service 
which have had the effect of making it a civil service in fact as well as in name. 
President Taft has not disturbed this order, and under it appointments to the 
service are now made after careful examination of the candidates. If suc¬ 
cessful, they are appointed to a class 8 or class 9 (consulate posts carrying sala¬ 
ries at $2,500 and $2,000, respectively). All vacancies in posts of higher grades 
are filled by promotion from the ranks. Political affiliations are not considered. 

This method of manning the Consular Service has had excellent results, but 
it is liable to be upset at any time by Executive order, and Mr. Sulzer’s bill 
aims to give it permanence by legislative enactment. Training and experience 
are very valuable in consuls, and eflicient consuls are considerably and in¬ 
creasingly valuable to American trade. If capable men are to continue to 
be attracted to that service, it must be made to offer them a career as secure 
as is offered in the Army or the Navy. If Congress takes such action as Mr. 
Sulzer’s bill invites, that end will be considerably furthered on its way toward 
attainment. 


[Editorial from the Indianapolis News, Mar. 23, 1912.] 

IMPROVING OUR FOREIGN SERVICE. 

A bill to improve our foreign service, introduced by Representative Sulzer, 
has the merit of going to the point in direct improvement of our consular and 
diplomatic departments. It follows in general lines recommendations made by 
the President and the Secretary of State. It would put all appointments of 
secretaries of legations, of consuls, and consul generals in grades instead of 
places, the President to appoint to such grades, subject to confirmation by the 
Senate. To this end it authorizes the Secretary of State to submit to the 
President from time to time the names of those who on their records deserve 
promotion and also such names of others who may by examination prove their 
fitness for appointment to the lower grades. There are to be two examining 
boards, one for the diplomatic department and one for the consular depart¬ 
ment. The former is to be made up of an Assistant Secretary of State, a rep¬ 
resentative of the Civil Service Commission, a law officer of the State Depart¬ 
ment, and one other officer to be named by the Secretary of State. 

The examinations are to be held at least once a year, and are to be practical 
and comprehensive in character, strictly impartial, and with no reference to 
the political affiliations of the candidate. The results are to be published 
under certificate of the Secretary of State, who will thus give the list of those 
that have proved to be eligible for reappointment. The purpose throughout, 
of course, is to make appointments only for fitness. To insure a standard 
there is to be a measure of ability, while merit only shall rule, freeing the in¬ 
cumbent from fear of discharge except for cause. Promotions will be made on 
merit, thus offering a career for those ambitious in this way. That there can 
be any objection to such a measure is inconceivable, except it be of the old 
type that wants to preserve our foreign service as spoils of office. 

And here the “ stars in their courses ” are working for the new and better 
way, for as our foreign trade extends and our foreign relations increase in 
value and importance the necessity of having proper service increases, and so 
there are hopes that we shall in time stand alongside of England and Germany 
in the efficiency of the foreign services. Meanwhile there is a beginning of the 
better way through the voluntary procedure of the President and the State 
Department. But as this rests entirely with the good will of the Executive, 
there is, of course, only his disposition to protect the situation. Great party 
pressure might at any time “rip up” the whole situation and secure these 
services for party rewards. There ought to be a public opinion strong enough 
to bring this reform to pass. And there will be as soon as the people have 
time to turn their attention from more exciting things. The reform has been 
proposed these many years, and it is in the of realization. 



IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


41 


[Editorial from Chicago Evening Post, March 25, 1912.] 


THE SULZER FOREIGN-SERVICE BILL. 

There are two bills before Congress which are intended, broadly speaking, to 
put the Consular and Diplomatic Service of the United States upon a civil- 
service basis. The bills are similar in many respects, and both of them un¬ 
questionably are intended to improve the condition of the foreign service. One 
of the bills, however, uses the word “ shall,” while the other uses the word 
“ may,” to offset reforms. “ Shall ” is declared by the best constitutional law¬ 
yers in Congress, Democrats and Republicans alike, to be unconstitutional, 
while “ may ” they think will stand any test of the courts. 

It is not necessary to go into all the details of these two merit measures. 
One of them was framed by Representative Sulzer, chairman of the House 
Committee on Foreign Affairs. Mr. Sulzer wrote the word “ may ” into his 
bill, and it has been approved by Secretary Knox and all the officials of the 
State Department who make foreign service and its needs their special concern. 

The Constitution of the United States gives to the President the appointment 
of consular and diplomatic officers. If a bill passes Congress which says that 
the President “ shall ” appoint men from the elligible list, the ensuing law 
would be unconstitutional. The substitution of the word “ may ” would meet 
the constitutional requirements. 

It is not to be supposed that if a law were passed providing for promotions 
and appointments by merit and creating through proper examinations an eligible 
list any President of the United States would dare flout public opinion by 
refusing to make appointments from the list of eligibles simply because under 
the Constitution he thus could violate the spirit of civil-service reform, set 
back progress, and reward a few political favorites. 

The vice president and secretary of the National Civil Service Reform League 
told the Foreign Affairs Committee a few days ago that the thing to do to 
promote the merit system in the Consular and Diplomatic Service was to pass 
the Sulzer bill. They said that there were insurmountable obstacles in the way 
of passing the other measure, which is known as the Foss bill. They expressed 
the belief that the Sulzer measure would accomplish what civil-service reform¬ 
ers have been trying to accomplish and what business men of the country have 
shown that they wished to have done. The Sulzer bill is approved by the State 
Department, by constitutional lawyers, without regard to party, and it is 
said to be approved by the President. This is no time to quarrel about trivi¬ 
alities. There is a need for a law governing appointments and promotions in 
the foreign service. The Sulzer bill is constitutional, and it should pass. 


[Editorial from the Evening News, Newark, Mar. 21, 1912.] 

SOUND BASIS FOR FOREIGN SERVICE. 

The Sulzer bill for the improvement of the Consular and Diplomatic Service 
is very good as far as it goes. Its aim is to make permanent the present ar¬ 
rangement of the service, which now rests solely upon Executive orders, and 
may be abolished by any President who does not choose to continue it. 

As it is, a bureau of appointments has been created which keeps careful 
records of the men in the service, from which it recommends to the President 
those who are worthy of promotion, narrates the qualifications that fit them 
for special fields, and provides such other useful information concerning them 
as the President needs. 

A system of examinations has been established which has become the normal 
avenue of appointment to secretaryships in the legations, embassies, and to the 
consulates. The system is a guaranty of fitness for consular and diplomatic 
work; of proper‘professional equipment for undertaking the Government 
service. 

Recent appointments to the posts of minister and consuls have been made 
rather generally by way of promotion from the secretaryships and to as full 
an extent, perhaps, as possible. The system has not yet been in operation long 
enough to develop a surplus of secretaries of sufficient experience to make them 

ministerial and consular timber. ,. , 

The Sulzer bill proposes to give these new customs legislative sanction. That 
is as far as it goes. It does not compel the President to select secretaries and 



42 


IMPROVEMENT OE THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


consuls who have passed the examinations or to fill the higher post, when 
vacant, by promotion. In order to protect the service from dry-rot, very likely 
the President should not be bound so tightly that, under no circumstances, 
can he fill a post from outside of the service. 

But the bill can not go further toward making examinations compulsory, 
and basing appointments on efficiency records, and compelling the filling of 
posts by promotion, without abridging the powers vested in the President and 
the Senate in the selection and confirmation of foreign-service appointees. 
This can not be accomplished except by an amendment to the Constitution. 

What the bill does secure is a list of eligibles who, under all normal cir¬ 
cumstances, will be appointed to the lower positions and allowed to work 
themselves up to the enviable posts. It is very improbable that any future 
President will disregard the sanction of the system imposed upon it by this 
bill. The successful passing of prescribed examinations would be recognized 
as a desirable, if not mandatory, prerequisite for appointments, and efficiency 
would be sanctioned as the desired basis of promotion. A President who acted 
contrary to these principles would court harsh criticism. 

The bill would work to the benefit of the men in the service to the extent 
that it requires the submission of their records to the notice of the President 
at the time when promotions, transfers, or appointments are to be made. 

The bill further provides for the classification and grading of posts and—a 
new feature—for the appointment of secretaries and consuls to grades instead 
of to specified posts; the latter is the natural corollary to the grading of the 
service. It makes provision for the publication of the reports of the examining 
boards also, insuring a certain measure of publicity to act as a check upon 
any attempt to depart from the spirit of the system. 

The consideration of the political affiliations of candidates is prohibited in the 
bill, and proportional representation of the various States and Territories in 
the service is provided for. 

All that the bill aims to secure should be secured. It is vital to the suc¬ 
cessful building up of a useful foreign service. 


[Editorial from the New York Tribune, Mar. 13, 1912.] 

PROTECTING THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 

Representative W T illiam Sulzer, chairman of the House Committee on For¬ 
eign Affairs, has introduced a bill which, if passed by this Congress, will 
effectively protect the foreign service against a recurrence of the abuses of the 
spoils system. It follows the lines of the Lowden measure, which was sub¬ 
mitted to the last Congress with the hearty approval of the Secretary of State. 
Its main purpose is to give statutory force to the regulations governing ap¬ 
pointments and promotions in the Diplomatic and Consular Service which 
have been embodied in Executive orders by President Roosevelt and President 
Taft. 

The present administration, by the order issued November 26, 1909, bound 
itself to observe certain rules in making nominations and promotions, these 
rules being intended to eliminate favoritism and political influence, to secure 
proper proportional representation to all the States, and to establish fitness as 
the sole qualification for entrance into the foreign service or advancement 
within it in all grades below that of minister. By limiting initial appoint¬ 
ments to vacancies in the lowest class of consulates, or in third or second sec¬ 
retaryships, and providing for promotion from one grade to another solely on 
the basis of efficiency records the door has been shut against unworthy 
applicants and influences. 

But the orders of one President may be canceled or ignored by his successor. 
It would be wise, therefore, for Congress to give legislative sanction to the 
regulations now established by Executive action, so that no future administra¬ 
tion could of its own motion undo the notable improvements made in the con¬ 
duct of the foreign service in recent years. 


[Editorial from the Independent, New York, Mar. 28, 1912.] 

We wish Congress would, by the enactment of a law like the Sulzer bill, 
make binding on the President what he is in the main doing of his own good 
will, namely, prohibit the question of politics in the appointment of consuls 




IMPROVEMENT OF TPIE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


43 


and diplomatic secretaries and other such employees abroad, and that they be 
appointed to grades instead of to specified posts, and be promoted according to 
efficiency, with examinations of candidates for such service. We should be 
thus relieved of some sad scandals, and busiuess would be carried on more 
effectively. Conditions are now vastly better than they were 20 years ago and 
less, but there is still room for improvement and for the relief of the appoint 
ing power from embarrassment and suspicion. 

[Editorial from the Call, San Francisco, Cal., Mar. 18, 1912.] 

MEASURE TO IMPROVE TIIE CONSULAR SERVICE. 

In line with the recommendations of President Taft to put the Diplomatic and 
Consular Departments of the Government on a business basis is the Sulzer bill, 
now pending in Congress. It has been the practice to treat these appointments 
in all grades as pay for political service, without much regard for fitness. The 
consequence has been that our Consular Service has become in many cases a 
national scandal. 

The Sulzer bill provides, among other things— 

That the consideration of the political affiliations of candidates would be 
prohibited. 

That the successful passing of the prescribed examinations would be legally 
recognized as a prerequisite for foreign-service appointments. 

That efficiency is the only basis for promotion. 

That the special efficiency of diplomatic secretaries, of consular officers, of 
departmental officers and employees, and of all persons who have passed the pre¬ 
scribed examinations would be brought to the attention of the President when 
recommendations for initial appointments, promotions, and transfers are sub¬ 
mitted to him. 

That efficiency records would be kept of diplomatic secretaries, of consular 
officers, and of officers and clerks of the Department of State. 

That the proportional representation of the several States and Territories in 
the foreign service would be published at the close of each examination. 

That diplomatic secretaries and consuls would be appointed to grades, instead 
of to specified posts. , 

That orderly promotion would be made possible by the grading of diplomatic 
secretaryships. 

American commerce is not greatly concerned about the functions of diplomacy 
as such, for these are largely and chiefly ornamental, but our consuls in foreign 
lands are the commercial eyes of the country. They are in a considerable way 
the business agents of our merchants and manufacturers, and if they have had 
no training outside the field of politics they are obviously incompetent for any 
useful service in this field. 

It has been notorious that some of them were sent away to get rid of them, 
although it can not be said that they left their country for their country’s good. 


[Editorial from the Courier, Elgin, Ill., Mar. 19, 1912.] 

SULZER CONSULAR BILL. 

The Courier has received a letter from Huntington Wilson, Acting Secre¬ 
tary of State, relating to the Sulzer bill, which is now pending before the 
House of Representatives at Washington. This bill is similar to the one be¬ 
fore the last Congress and known as the Lowden bill. Its enactment would 
give legislative sanction to the existing regulations governing appointments 
and promotions in the Diplomatic and Consular Service, make permanent the 
great improvement already brought about, and lay the foundation for greater 
improvement in the future. 

Our Diplomatic and Consular Service has, upon the whole, been placed upon 
a greatly improved basis within the last seven years, during the service of 
Elihu Root and Secretary Knox. It was clearly understood by the former 
when he first instituted his reforms that they could only be achieved gradu¬ 
ally. The bill for “ consular and diplomatic reform ” which became law sev¬ 
eral years ago was far from reaching the point which he held desirable. 



44 


IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


The Sulzer bill is expected to go further and help the service even more. 
It is in harmony with the recommendations of the President and of the pres¬ 
ent Secretary of State, and it embodies the principles for which the commer¬ 
cial organizations of the country have been contending for a number of years. 
It would prohibit consideration of the political affiliations of candidates for 
either the Consular or Diplomatic Service, would legally establish the examina¬ 
tion system in appointments to foreign posts, and make efficiency more clearly 
the basis of promotion. 

Time was when, except for the various literary figures who adorned it, our 
foreign service was little short of a disgrace. That period has passed—and 
so, unfortunately, have the literary representatives, like Lowell at London, 
Howells at Venice, and others—but the foreign service is still far from what 
it should be. 


[Editorial from the Republican, Springfield, Mass., Mar. 13, 1912.] 

Our Diplomatic and Consular Service has, upon the whole, been put upon a 
much improved basis within the last seven years under Elihu Root and Secre¬ 
tary Knox. While various unfortunate lapses from the professed policy as to 
appointment by merit prevent unqualified praise, progress has been made. But 
it was clearly recognized by Mr. Root when he instituted his reforms that they 
could only be achieved gradually, and the bill for “ consular and diplomatic re¬ 
form ” which became law several years ago was far from going to the full 
extent which he held desirable. A bill is now pending in the House, introduced 
by Congressman Sulzer, chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, which 
appears to go further and should therefore receive favorable attention. It would 
prohibit consideration of the political affiliations of candidates for either the 
Diplomatic or Consular Service, would legally establish the examination system 
' in appointments to foreign posts, and make efficiency more clearly the basis of 
promotion. Time was when, except for the various literary figures who adorned 
it, our foreign service was little short of a disgrace. That period has passed— 
and so, unfortunately, have the literary representatives like Lowell at London, 
Howells at Venice, and others—but the foreign service is still far from what it 
should be. 


[Editorial from the Times, New York, Feb. 28, 1912.] 

LEGALIZING REFORMS. 

Representative Sulzer has introduced in the House a bill which practically 
gives the force of law to the Executive orders of 1906 and 1909 for the improve¬ 
ment of the foreign service, and somewhat extends them. 

Under this bill provision is made that all applicants for appointment in the 
lower grades of the service shall undergo a strict and practical examination in 
“ business experience and ability; the resources and commerce of the United 
States, with special reference to the development of export trade; international, 
commercial, and maritime law and history; American history, government, and 
institutions; and one language other than English.” The Secretary of State is 
required to report the names of those found on examination to have fitness for 
appointment to the lower grades of the service, and also “ the names of those 
secretaries in the Diplomatic Service and of those consular officers or depart¬ 
mental officers or employees who, by reason of efficient service, an accurate 
record of which shall be kept in the Department of State, have demonstrated 
special efficiency.” Further, the President is authorized to make all appoint¬ 
ments of secretaries, consuls general, and consuls to grades instead of to places. 

These provisions have partly been in force under Executive order for from 
three to six years, and have worked admirably. They should have the force of 
law, which is given to them by Mr. Sulzer’s bill. 


[Editorial from the Philadelphia Inquirer, May 4, 1912.] 

SULZER BILL FAVORABLY REPORTED. 

Representative Sulzer’s bill for the better administration of the Consular and 
Diplomatic Services has been favorably reported by the Committee on Foreign 
Affairs, of which he is the chairman, rnd if Congress has a proper appreei- 





IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 45 


atiou of its consequences and interest, it will become a law before the end of 
the session. 

It provides for the perpetuation and extension of a reform which, through 
the intelligent and public-spirited intervention of the Executive, has already 
been partially and provisionally accomplished. It was Secretary Root who first 
proposed, with President Roosevelt’s sanction, that consuls and diplomatic 
agents should be appointed and promoted on merit. This enlightened policy has 
been continued by Mr. Knox, and the purpose of the Sulzer bill is to insure 
against the possibility of its abandonment by investing it with a legal status 
and authority. 

A\ itli the enactment of the Sulzer bill what is now optional will be made im¬ 
perative, and any return to the old bad practice under which consular appoint¬ 
ments were distributed as political rewards, will be precluded. This means 
that men of education and ability will embrace the Consular and Diplomatic 
Service as a career. They will qualify themselves for it as a man qualifies 
himself for the practice of a profession, because they will have an assurance 
that their tenure of office will be determined by their own behavior, and that 
if they develop a special aptitude they may confidently count on promotion. 

Under these conditions the United States will secure the same kind of skilled 
and trained service which other countries command, and which is so necessary to 
the development of its foreign trade. 


[Editorial from Baltimore American, Mar. 14, 1912.] 

IMTHOVE FOREIGN SERVICE. 

No phase of the interests of this country has been affected so widely by the 
world status of the Nation since its entrance into the Eastern Hemisphere as 
that of its commerce. The promotion of the commerce of the United States is 
not simply a normal matter of routine; it is a matter of constant and aggressive 
enterprise. No other class of citizens have nearly the responsibility or the op¬ 
portunity for the promotion of the commercial enterprise of the Nation as the 
men in the Diplomatic Service. From the ambassadors whose services are not 
a little devoted to the preserving of the wide rights of trade of the country and 
the defense of the doors of access to undeveloped portions of the globe to the men 
in the lower consular position, whose time is not a little given to special consular 
reports upon trade matters and advance in invention and enterprise, the field 
of diplomatic activity is a great field of intelligent industry. 

In view of these facts the Sulzer bill that has been introduced into Congress for 
the purpose of giving legislative sanction to existing Executive regulations gov¬ 
erning appointments and promotions in Diplomatic and Consular Service to make 
permanent the improvements already brought about and to lay the foundations 
for still further improvements in the future should receive support of all mem¬ 
bers of the lawmaking body, whose comprehension of the scope of the bill is 
adequate to the intent of the measure. The bill covers appointments of secre¬ 
taries of consuls general and of consuls. 

The measure provides that the President may make appointments to grades 
instead of to places, and gives the range of examination for the designated 
grades. This bill, if passed, would make the service here comfortable to the 
methods of the countries better developed in the production of men for the 
Diplomatic Service. Upon these men rest the vast concerns of the Nation in 
the direction of trade and the promotion of the sentiments of other peoples 
with respect to the United States, so as to have the soil well tilled for the sow¬ 
ing of American dollars. The kind of examinations prescribed has very much 
this bearing. With the coming of the time when the Panama Canal will widen 
very much the reach of the Nation and change the routes of trade, preparation 
for the newer enterprise should be entered upon in every appropriate direction. 
Perhaps in no other single respect will the Nation promote its commercial inter¬ 
ests to better advantage than in the passage of the bill in question. The bill is 
in harmony with the recommendations of the Secretary of State and the senti¬ 
ments of the President of the Nation. 



46 


IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


[Editorial from Harrisburg Telegram, Mar. 14, 1912.] 

THE SULZER BILL. 

Congressman Sulzer’s bill for tlie improvement of the American Diplomatic 
and Consular Service is one which will encounter comparatively little opposition. 

Certainly its purpose should commend it to the best element of all parties—to 
every man who realizes the importance of maintaining the high standard of our 
foreign service and who appreciates the efforts of the administration to protect 
it by every safeguard from the spoilsman. 

While the Sulzer bill is not of a revolutionary character at all, it is of the 
utmost significance by reason of the fact that it provides legislative sanction to 
the executive regulations already existing with regard to appointments and 
promotions in the Diplomatic and Consular Corps. 

It aims to make permanent changes in the service which were brought about 
by administrative policy and which might or might not continue under succeed¬ 
ing administrations without the express order of the lawmaking bodies. 

The State Department earnestly desires to insure the continuance of the merit 
system of appointment and promotion by legislative act. It does not wish to 
run the risk of having improvements that were started under Roosevelt and 
developed under Taft swept away by later Presidents who may either disap¬ 
prove of the policy or lack strength to withstand the political pressure brought 
to bear on them in favor of special appointments or promotions in which the 
fitness of the candidates is not considered. 

This is virtually all the Sulzer bill is intended to do, except, by legislative 
recognition of the work already accomplished in elevating the efficiency of our 
foreign representatives, to pave the way for a still higher standard of efficiency 
in the future. 


[Editorial from tho Journal of Commerce, New York, Apr. 29, 1912.] 
IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 

There is an excellent chance for the passage of the Sulzer bill (II. It. 20044) 
for the improvement of the foreign service of the United States, if the business 
interests of the country will make it plain to the members of the House Com¬ 
mute on Foreign Affairs that they regard the bill as a measure of vital im¬ 
portance. The only opposition which the bill has to dread is in the committee. 
Should it be favorably reported to the House there is not much doubt of its pas¬ 
sage. A witness at one of the hearings given by the committee on this bill 
truthfully said that for 14 years the business interests of the country had been 
devoting persistent endeavor, backed by practical and well-defined propositions, 
to induce the Congress of the United States to enact a law that would place the 
American Consular Service on a permanent merit and business basis under na¬ 
tional statute. The value of consular activity to the export trade began to be 
clearly discerned from the first year of President McKinley. When Mr. Root 
became Secretary of State in 1905, one of his first acts was to draft, in collabo¬ 
ration with Senator Dodge, a bill to classify and grade the Consular Service, to 
apply civil service principles to the selection, appointment, and promotion of 
officers, and to establish a principle of periodical inspection of all offices in the 
service. President Roosevelt, by Executive order, promptly promulgated regu¬ 
lations similar to those omitted from the act, and therefore since June 27, 1906, 
the Consular Service has been administered in an entirely nonpartisan manner 
and according to the strict principles of the merit system. Soon after the be¬ 
ginning of his administration President Taft, by Executive order, applied simi¬ 
lar rules and regulations to the secretaryships in the Diplomatic Service. The 
result has been, according to the director of the Consular Service: (1) The 
appointment of officers of a higher average of ability than ever before; (2) a 
far higher standard of official and personal conduct on the part of the officers; 
(3) far greater activity, industry, and efficiency than had ever before been 
known in the foreign service of this country. 

But the Executive orders of one President can be recalled by another, and 
there is indeed no constitutional method of depriving the President of his dis¬ 
cretion in making appointments, with the consent of the Senate, to consular 
and diplomatic offices. But obviously a good deal would be gained by giving 
these orders the effect of law. The law can not be couched in absolutely man- 



IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


47 


datory terms, but it can express the will of the legislative branch of the Govern¬ 
ment in such a way as no President would be likely to disregard, since it 
would unquestionably have behind it the preponderating weight of public sen¬ 
timent. This is all that the Sulzer bill undertakes to do, and the criticism di¬ 
rected against it in the committee on the ground that it is an effort to curtail 
the constitutional prerogatives of the President is entirely beside the mark. 
The bill seeks to accomplish three important things—first, to place upon the 
statute book the essential principles of the existing regulations regarding ex¬ 
aminations and promotions: second, to grade the diplomatic secretaryships so 
as to make orderly promotions possible, and. third, to authorize rhe President to 
make all appointments of diplomatic secretary and consular officers to grades, 
instead of to places, similar to the practice of the Army and Navy. The 
bill does not seek to compel or direct the President to make appointments or pro¬ 
motions in any specified manner, and therefore does not abridge his consti¬ 
tutional right to appoint, with the advice and consent of the Senate, all am¬ 
bassadors, public ministers, and consuls. On the other hand, it does grade the 
diplomatic secretaryships and thus provide a basis for orderly promotion, if 
the President should see fit to direct promotions to be made. Briefly, the Sulzer 
bill, if enacted, would give permanence to the existing system, not in a narrow 
way by giving some individual a permanent tenure of a public office, but in the 
larger way of placing at the disposal of the Government and of the business 
men of the country a body of professional diplomatic and consular officers— 
men expert in their calling, acquainted with the subjects with which the for¬ 
eign service has to deal, and capable of handling questions on those subjects 
in the most efficient manner. 

Several representatives from commercial organizations have appeared before 
the committee in support of the bill, but the fact has not been made so 
plain as it might be that the business sentiment of the country is practically 
a unit in its favor. From the point of view of the professional politician, the 
bill is an effort to remove definitely beyond his reach a tempting reserve of 
party spoils. That is, of course, but one reason the more for the men who have 
a tangible interest in seeing the Government conducted on business principles 
coming to its support. Its author has been.accused of being unfaithful to his 
party because he has disregarded considerations of “ peanut politics,” in lend¬ 
ing to it his earnest, resolute, and untiring advocacy. The fate of the bill is 
likely to be settled in the committee on Wednesday, and our readers all over 
the country will never have a better chance to advance the cause of consular 
reform than by addressing letters or. preferably, telegrams to individual mem¬ 
bers of the committee from their own section, or to the chairman of the com¬ 
mittee. in default of other representation. We regard the matter as of such 
exceptional importance that we append the names of the members of the Com¬ 
mittee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives for the information 
of those who agree with us that now is the time to act on a question regarding 
which the business community of the United States can not afford to be silent: 


William Sulzer, of New York, chair¬ 
man. 

Henry D. Flood, of Virginia. 

John N. Garner, of Texas. 

George S. Legare, of South Carolina. 
William G. Sharp, of Ohio. 

Cyrus Cline, of Indiana. 

Jefferson N. Levy, of New York. 
James M. Curley, of Massachusetts. 
John Charles Linthicum, of Maryland. 
Robert E. Difenderfer, of Pennsylvania. 


W. S. Goodwin, of Arkansas. 

Charles M. Stedman, of North Carolina. 
Edward M. Townsend, of New Jersey. 
B. P. Harrison, of Mississippi. 

William B. McKinley, of Illinois. 
Henry A. Cooper, of Wisconsin. 

Ira W. Wood, of New Jersey. 

Richard Bartholdt, of Missouri. 
George W. Fairchild, of New York. 

N. E. Kendall, of Iowa. 

J. Hampton Moore, of Pennsylvania. 


New York Produce Exchange, 

* New York , May 3, 1012. 

lion. William Sulzer, 

Chairman Committee on Foreign Affairs, 

House of Representatives, Washington, D. C. 

Dear Sir : By direction of our president, I am writing to all the members of 
the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives expressing 
satisfaction over the fact that the bill introduced by you and bearing House 




48 


IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


resolution No. 20044 for the improvement of tlie foreign service, has been re¬ 
ported favorably by the committee; and I have requested those members to 
do all they can to further its passage by the House, calling to their attention 
the fact that our exchange, and all other bodies of a similar character, have 
long worked for the principle involved in the measure as reported. 

Yours, very truly, 

W. C. ROSSMAN, 

Assistant Secretary. 


Chamber of Commerce of the State of New York, 

New York, May 1912. 

Dear Sir: The Chamber of Commerce of the State of New York at its 
meeting on April 4 last unanimously adopted a resolution indorsing the bill 
No. 20044. known as the Sulzer bill and entitled “A bill for the improve¬ 
ment of the foreign service.” 

It is with much gratification that we now learn that the bill is to be favor¬ 
ably reported by your committee and it is earnestly hoped that there will be 
no opposition (o this action. 

Yours, respectfully, Chas. T. Gwynne, 

Assistant Secretary. 

Hon. William Sulzer, 

Committee on Foreign Affairs, House of Representatives. 


New Seattle Chamber of Commerce, 

Seattle , Wash. 

Board of Trustees, 

New Seattle Chamber of Commerce. 

Gentlemen : Your committee on national affairs begs leave to report that 
this bill is designed to improve our Diplomatic and Consular Service. 

In the past our Consular Service particularly suffered from haphazard 
political appointments. In the old days political qualifications and political 
influence too frequently governed the selection of the appointee. Personal 
qualifications for the post were a secondary or subordinate matter. As a re¬ 
sult, it too often happened that the Consular Service in places was a hindrance 
rather than a help to the commerce of the country, and a reproach to the 
United States. 

It is proposed by this bill, which is similar to what is known as the Lowden 
bill, to provide a means by which the appointment of secretaries in the Diplo¬ 
matic Service, and of consuls general and consuls shall be made upon the 
basis of their fitness and qualifications for foreign service. 

Under the policy and system of the proposed bill a man could not be ap¬ 
pointed consul to a great commercial center on the Continent of Europe, who, 
for example, should be wholly ignorant of the language of the country, and 
who had little or no knowledge of the nature of the duties which he was ex¬ 
pected to perform for his Government. 

In view of the extension of our foreign commerce a trained body of officials 
in the Consular Service has become a commercial necessity. 

This bill, in the opinion of your committee, provides a measure which would 
greatly improve that important service. The bill has the approval of the 
State Department, and we would respectfully recommend that this chamber 
ask our delegation in Congress to support it. 

Respectfully submitted. 

Thomas Burke, Chairman. 

R. A. Ballinger. 

C. H. Hanford. 

E. C. Hughes. 

Adopted by board of trustees New Seattle Chamber of Commerce, April 16, 
1912. 


C. B. Yandell, Secretary. 




IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


49 


Akron Chamber of Commerce, 

Akron, Ohio, March IS, 1912. 

Hon. William Sulzer, 

Chairman House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Washington, D. C. 

Dear Sir: The board of directors of the Akron Chamber of Commerce, at a 
meeting March 32, unanimously adopted a resolution indorsing H. R. 20044, 
relating to the American Diplomatic and Consular Service. 

Very truly, yours, 

Vincent S. Stevens, Secretary. 


CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, BUFFALO, N. Y. 

Resolution adopted at a regular meeting of the board of directors, held Tues¬ 
day, March 12, 1912: 

''Resolved, That the board of directors heartily approves and indorses the 
bill pending in Congress entitled ‘An act to improve the foreign service,’ intro¬ 
duced by Mr. Sulzer, being substantially the same bill formerly introduced by 
Mr. Lowden. This bill would classify the Diplomatic Service in its lower 
grades and permit its thorough reorganization, as the Consular Service has 
heretofore been classified and reorganized under an act of Congress, and would 
recognize and give legal validity to the examining boards for the Consular 
and Diplomatic Services already created under Executive orders of President 
Roosevelt and President Taft, and thus would secure so much of the merit 
system of appointment and promotion in these great branches of our foreign 
service as has been introduced and found to be practicable under these existing 
Executive orders. 

“ This bill, which is understood to have been drafted by the State Depart¬ 
ment, and is strongly recommended by that department and by the President, 
would insure the creation and continuation of skilled and efficient Diplomatic 
and Consular Services, and thus would advance the credit of the Naiion and 
our opportunities for successful business with foreign countries.” 

Attest, a true copy: 

Edward B. Harvey, 

Financial Secretary. 


CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, HAMILTON, OHIO. 

Whereas it is our belief that the successful extension of the commerce of the 
United States with foreign countries is dependent largely upon the efficiency 
of our Consular and Diplomatic Service; and 
Whereas we are convinced that the efficiency of such service is best assured 
through the entire elimination of political and personal considerations in 
the making of appointments and promotions: Therefore be it 
Resolved by the hoard of trustees of the Chamber of Commerce of Hamilton, 
Ohio, That we do indorse the bill for the improvement of the foreign service 
introduced in the House of Representatives by Mr. Sulzer on February 13, 1912, 
and known as H. R. 20044; and that we do appeal to our Representatives in 
the Senate and the House of Representatives of the United States to support 
and vote for the said bill. 


Norwich, Conn., March 20, 1912. 

Hon. William Sulzer. 

Chairman Committee on Foreign Affairs, 

House of Representatives, Washington, D. C. 

Sir: I have before me a copy of House bill 20044, introduced by you on 
February 13, 1912, for the improvement of the foreign service. 

This bill commends itself to me— 

First. As a citizen desirous of higher character and efficiency in our Diplo¬ 
matic and Consular Service. While we always have some excellent officers in 


H. Rept. 840, 62-2 


4 





50 


IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


these posts, it is well known and much regretted that, on the average, our stand¬ 
ard of ability and of consequent influence has been, and is, much below that of 
some other nations. 

Second. As a manufacturer of some experience in the export trade, I think 
your bill worthy of strong support from the standpoint of business. 

From every point of view I regard the bill as a decided advance upon even 
the present somewhat improved condition of our Diplomatic and Consular 
Service. 

If I can do anything further to aid your efforts in the passage of the bill, 
please suggest. 

I have the honor to be, 

Very respectfully, yours, Wm. A. Aiken. 


Elizabeth Board of Trade, 

Elizabeth, N. J., March 15, 1912. 


Chairman Committee on Foreign Affairs, 

House of Representatives. Washington, D. G. 

My Dear Sir: I am directed to call your attention to the following resolu¬ 
tions adopted by a unanimous vote at a meeting of this board, held Thursday 
^evening, March 14, 1912: 

“ Resolved by the Board of Trade of the City of Elizabeth, That House of 
Representatives bill No. 20044, known as the Sulzer bill, which provides legis¬ 
lative sanction to the existing Executive regulations governing appointments 
and promotions in the Diplomatic and Consular Service of the United States, is 
in harmony with the recommendations of the commercial organizations of the 
country for the improvement of this branch of the Government; and be it 
further 

“ Resolved, That this said bill is approved by this board and its passage 
earnestly urged; and be it further 

“ Resolved, That copies of this resolution be sent to the Secretary of State 
of the United States and to the chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs 
of the House of Representatives and of the United States Senate.” 

Very truly, yours, 


Frank L. Devine, Secretary. 


Chamber of Commerce of Roanoke, Va., 

March 30, 1912. 

Hon. William Sulzf.r, 

Chairman Committee on Foreign Affairs, 

House of Representatives, Washington, D. C. 

Dear Sir : We beg to advise you that our organization is in hearty sympathy 
with your bill (H. R. 20044) for the improvement of our foreign service, and 
we hope that the measure will be enacted into a law. 

Yours, very respectfully, 

W. L. Shafer. Secretary. 


Savannah Chamber of Commerce, 

Savannah, Ga., March 16, 1912. 

Hon. Charles L. Bartlett, 

Member of Congress from Georgia, 

Washington, D. C. 

Dear Sir: H. R. 20044 (62d Cong.. 2d sess.), for improvement of the foreign 
service. 

At a meeting of the directors of the Savannah Chamber of Commerce, held 
on the 14th instant, a resolution was unanimously adopted indorsing the above 
bill, and providing that copies o fthe resolution be sent to Georgia’s delegation 
3n the National Senate and House of Representatives. 

Very truly, yours, 


Joseph F. Gray, 

Vice President and Chairman Executive Committee. 





IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


51 


Syracuse Chamber of Commerce, 

TT „ March 28, 1912. 

Hon. William Sulzer, 

Chairman of Committee on Foreign Affairs, 

House of Representatives, Washington, D. C. 

Dear Sir : This is to inform you that the board of directors of the Syracuse 
Chamber of Commerce has indorsed H. R. 20044, introduced by you and giving 
legislative sanction to regulations governing appointments and promotions in the 
Diplomatic and Consular Service. 

Yours, very truly, Robert H. Jones, 

Secretary. 


RESOLUTION ADOPTED BY THE SAN DIEGO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE RE IMPROVEMENT 

OF FOREIGN SERVICE. 

Whereas there has been introduced in the House of Representatives by Con¬ 
gressman Sulzer a bill for the improvement of foreign service, which bill is 
H. R. 20044; and 

Whereas this body is convinced that such legislation is wise and the bill should 
become a law : Therefore 

Be it resolved, That this body indorse and approve the said measure, and 
requests and recommends that the measure be supported by the Senators and 
Representatives in the United States Congress from the State of California. 

F. C. Spalding, President. 
Rufus Choate, Secretary. 

I hereby certify that the above is a true and correct copy of the resolutions 
adopted by the board of directors of the San Diego Chamber of Commerce 
April 3, 1912. 

Rufus Choate. 


Whereas American manufacturing and commercial interests require the most 
efficient foreign representation possible in both the Diplomatic and Consular 
Service to the end that our country may secure its proper proportion of 
foreign trade, it is essential that our country excel in its diplomatic and 
consular appointments those of any other nation; and for this reason it is 
necessary that appointments and promotions, both diplomatic and consular, be 
made without regard to political affiliations and for merit and efficiency 
only: Therefore 

Be it resolved. That the American Embassy Association heartily indorses the 
bill introduced by Congressman William Sulzer, of New York (H. R. 20044), 
and urges upon Congress the necessity of its speedy enactment into law; and 
Be it further resolved, That a copy of these resolutions be forwarded to the 
Committees on Foreign Affairs of the House and on Foreign Relations of the 
Senate, with the request that this most important legislation may be expedited. 

The American Embassy Association. 

E. Clarence Jones, President. 


Dated New York, March 29, 1912. 


The Chicago Association of Commerce, 

Chicago, May 7, 1912. 

Hon. William Sulzer, 

Chairman Committee on Foreign Affairs, 

House of Representatives, Washington, D. C. 

My Dear Sir: Your attention is respectfully invited to a resolution adopted 
by the executive committee of the Chicago Association of Commerce at regular 
meeting held on Friday, May 3, as follows: 

“ Resolved, That H. R. 20044, entitled ‘A bill for the improvement of the for¬ 
eign service,’ commonly designated as the ‘ Sulzer bill for the improvement of 
the foreign service,’ now pending in Congress, be, and the same hereby is, in¬ 
dorsed as an important step in the promotion of efficiency in the Diplomatic and 





52 


IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


Consular Service of the United States and its enactment into a law hereby is 
recommended.’’ 

Very truly, yours, The Chicago Association of Commerce, 

By E. U. Kimbark, President. 

senator Morgan’s efforts. 

During the session of the Fifty-third Congress from 1894 to 1895, 
Senator Morgan, of Alabama, then chairman or the Committee on 
Foreign Relations of the Senate, introduced one of the most com¬ 
plete measures ever drafted for the reorganization of the Diplomatic 
and Consular Service (including secretaries of embassy and consuls 
general and consuls) under civil-service rules, or that has ever been 
submitted to Congress. Mr. Morgan reported the bill favorably to 
the Senate on February 6, 1895. His report may well be regarded as 
a classic on the subject of the improvement of the foreign service. 
Mr. Morgan was a Democrat and the bill was reported favorably to 
the Senate during President Cleveland’s second administration. 

Following the report on this bill—namely, on September 20, 1895— 
President Cleveland issued an Executive order applying in a limited 
way the merit principles to the selection of men for appointment to 
the consular service. In his third annual message, dated December 
2, 1895, after setting forth the provisions of the order, he said: 

It is not assumed that this system will prove a full measure of consular 
reform. It is quite probable that actual experience will show particulars in 
which the order already issued may be amended and demonstrate that for the 
best results appropriate legislation by Congress is imperatively required. 

The following is a list of practically all the bills presented to Con¬ 
gress for the improvement of the Diplomatic and Consular Service 
since 1895: 

Fifty-third Congress, first session: S. 11 ST. 

Fifty-fourth Congress, first session: S. 3230, Lodge report, No. 1073, May 27, 
1896. 

Fifty-fifth Congress, second session: 

H. R. 4354. Adams. 

H. R. 42. 

Fifty-sixth Congress, first session : 

H. R. 10524, Adams report, No. 1460. 

H. R. 1026, Adams report, No. 562. 

S. 2661, Lodge report. No. 1202. 

S. 4563. 

Fifty-seventh Congress, first session: 

H. R. 84, Adams report. No. 1313. 

H. R. 7482. 

S. 223. 

S. 1618, Lodge report, No. 499. 

Fifty-seventh Congress, second session: 

House amendment to diplomatic and consular appropriation bill, 1902. 

H. R. 16023, Adams report, No. 3305. 

Fifty-eighth Congress, first session: 

H. R. 854. Adams. 

S. 19, Lodge. 

Fifty-eighth Congress, third session: 

H. R. 19012. Douglas. 

Roosevelt Executive order, November 10, 1905, extended Cleveland order 
to include all consular posts of $1,000 and over. 

Fifty-ninth Congress, first session: 

S. 1345, Lodge report, No. 112, first to be passed; Adams, House report No. 
2281 

Act April 5, 1906. 


IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


53 


Examinations for the Consular Service. 

By an Executive order dated September 20, 1895, the President directed that 
’vacancies in consulates or commercial agencies, the salary of which is not 
more than $2,500 or less than $1,000, or the compensation of which from official 
fees does not exceed the former or fall below the latter sum, should thereafter 
be filled by selection from one of the following classes: (a) Persons holding 
positions under the Department of State; (b) persons who have previously 
served thereunder; or (c) persons who, having furnished the customary evi¬ 
dence of character, responsibility, and capacity, and having been thereupon 
selected by the President for examination, have been found upon such examina¬ 
tion to be qualified for the particular post to be filled. These examinations are 
not general and competitive, and no eligible list is kept. When the President 
decides to fill a vacancy existing among the offices in the above-mentioned class 
from the list of applicants for that place who are not, and have not been, in the 
public service under the Department of State, such candidates as have been se¬ 
lected by him after he has passed upon their applications and recommendations 
will be notified of their selection, of the date of the examination, and of the 
subjects on which such examination will bear, and they will be supplied with 
such documents as the examining board shall deem necessary for their guidance. 

LETTER OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE. 

The action of the President was based upon a communication from the Secre¬ 
tary of State, as follows: 

The President : 

Sir: Complaints of the Consular Service of the United States, of the incom¬ 
petency of consuls, and of the injurious consequences to great public interests, 
are not infrequently brought to the notice of the department, sometimes by di¬ 
rect communication, but more commonly through the medium of the public 
press. That they are not always well founded is clear, and instances are by 
no means rare in which interested parties indulge in the severest condemnation 
of officials whose only fault has been a proper adherence to the line of their 
legitimate duties. Merchants, or others, who demand that public functions shall 
be ignored or exceeded for the promotion of particular and private ends ought 
to find themselves disappointed, and, if they are, may be expected to rail with¬ 
out stint at the officer who has refused to be their tool. Nevertheless, the con¬ 
sular office is of great importance in its relation to the commercial interests of 
the country—every consul should, so far as practicable, be chosen for his 
special fitness for the particular position in which he is to serve—and it can 
not be denied that, while complaints against consuls are in some cases unwar¬ 
ranted, there are only too many others which can not be so regarded. It is 
contended by boards of trade, chambers of commerce, and other like bodies all 
over the country, that if our Consular Service were what it should be and our 
consuls were officials chosen for their fitness for the duties to be discharged by 
them, the results to the trade and commerce of the country would be of the 
most favorable character. The contention seems reasonable in itself and is 
supported by the practice and experience of Great Britain and other European 
countries. Congress has, to some extent, recognized its justness by the statutes 
providing for consular pupils and consular clerks to be appointed upon satis¬ 
factory evidence of qualification, derived through examinations or otherwise. 
By the act of 1864 these officials, originally limited to 25 in number and 
called consular pupils, are designated as consular clerks and limited to 
13 in number, and are not to be removed from office except for cause stated 
to Congress in writing. It is pertinent to note, also, in this connection, that 
at the last session of Congress bills to improve the‘Consular Service, by securing 
competency and fitness in its officers, were introduced into the Senate by repre¬ 
sentatives'of both political parties. It is the executive branch of the Govern¬ 
ment. however, which might be expected to be most strongly impressed with the 
defects of our Consular Service, and by which appropriate measures for remov¬ 
ing them would most naturally be initiated. 

Hence, it is not surprising to find that in 1866 the Department of State pro¬ 
mulgated an order requiring all applicants for consulates to present themselves 
for examination at the department. Neither the original order nor any copy 
of it can now be found. But the board of examiners, consisting of the Second 
Assistant Secretary of State, the examiner of claims, and the officer in charge 


54 


IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


of the consular division, met, organized, and held examination under the order, 
and out of nine applicants, approved seven as satisfactory. The other two 
were held not to be qualified, one because lacking in knowledge of foreign lan¬ 
guages, the other because of general incompetency. It does not appear that 
more than one examination was held under this order of 1S66, and the next 
step taken in the same direction seems to have been by an Executive order of 
April 16, 1S72. How much was done under this regulation is not clear, and at 
all events it was soon superseded by the Executive order of March 14, 1873. 
This order, made like that of April 16, 1872, under the civil-service act of 
March 3, 1871, and during the life of the commission organized under that 
statute, is as follows: “ Vacancies occuring in any grade of consulates or clerk¬ 
ships in the department may he filled either by transfer from some other grade 
or service, clerical, consular, or diplomatic, under the Department of State, or 
by the appointment of some person who has previously served under the De¬ 
partment of State to its satisfaction, or by the appointment of some person who 
has made application to the Secretary of State with proper certificates of char¬ 
acter, responsibility, and capacity, in the manner provided for applications for 
consulates of whicii the annual compensation is more than $1,000 and less than 
$3,000, and who has, on examination, been found qualified for the position.” 

Under this order, an examination board was organized by the Secretary of 
State, consisting of three officials serving in the State Department at Washing- 
fon. A general regulation was also adopted, by which, upon a consulate be¬ 
coming vacant, notice in writing in a form prescribed by the Secretary of State 
was sent to applicants for consulships. 

This notice stated in substance that the vacancy had occurred; that the 
applicant was to attend for examination at the State Department on the day 
named; that in addition to the usual subjects, he would be examined upon 
the third and eleventh chapters of the first volume of Kent’s Commentaries, and 
upon the “ Regulations for the Consular Service of the United States ”; that 
reasonable time would be given an applicant to familiarize himself with such 
“ Regulations,” copies of which could be had for SO cents; and that before such 
examination, the applicant must file with the department a paper certifying 
to his honesty, trustworthiness, good repute, steady habits, and capacity to 
perform the duties of a consul, and signed either by a person personally known 
to the Secretary of State, or by some person with means of information vouched 
for by one personally known to the Secretary of State. Conformably to these 
regulations made under the executive order of March 14, 1873, quite a number 
of persons were examined during the years 1873 and 1S74. The examinations 
were conducted through questions and answers in writing, and the examina¬ 
tion papers are still on file in the department. The system thus generally 
described is said to have worked well in practice, and to have both improved 
the Consular Service and relieved the department of much embarrassment. It 
was nevertheless short lived, and though the necessary connection between the 
two things is not obvious, it seems to have been given up simultaneously with 
the relinquishment of its functions by the Civil Service Commission of 1871, 
a relinquishment brought about by the refusal of Congress to make any appro¬ 
priations for that branch of the service. 

The civil-service act of 1871, now in force as section 1753 of the Revised 
Statutes, authorizes the President “ to prescribe such regulations for the ad¬ 
mission of persons into the civil service of the United States as may best pro¬ 
mote the efficiency thereof, and ascertain the fitness of each candidate in respect 
to age, health, character, knowledge, and ability, for the branch of service 
into which he seeks to enter; and for this purpose he may employ suitable 
persons to conduct such inquiries, and may prescribe their duties and establish 
regulations for the conduct of persons who may receive appointments in the 
civil service.” It may be that these statutory provisions can not be so utilized 
as to bring about that complete reform and improvement of the Consular Service 
which are universally conceded to be desirable. It may be that costly and 
elaborate machinery of the character provided by the Senate bills already 
referred to will be found necessary to that end. But, even if that be so. it 
is still to be remembered that the provisions of those bills have not yet been 
enacted by Congress and may never be, and that meanwhile it can do no harm 
and may do much good to make a thorough trial of the efficiency of such 
regulations as are authorized by section 1753 of the Revised Statutes. I 
therefore venture to recommend the adoption of an executive order in the 
terms of a paper which is hereto appended, marked B. It differs in detail, 
rather than in principle, from the other executive orders already referred to. 


IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


55 


It assumes that consuls may properly be chosen from two classes of person^ 
without examination, namely, from persons already in the service of the 
State Department, or from persons formerly in its service, and who in each 
case have not only satisfactory records of service, but of service tending to 
qualify them for the duties of consul. It requires all other persons, being first 
selected as eligible for examination upon the ordinary proofs of competency and 
good character, to submit themselves to an examination designed to test their 
aptitude and fitness for the special functions of the consular office. Thus, on the 
one hand, the appointing power is left at liberty to avail itself of whatever 
special capacity and fitness for the consular office actual service has demon¬ 
strated to exist. On the other hand, by reserving to itself the designation of 
the persons eligible for examination, the appointing power protects itself to 
some extent at least from the errors sure to follow from absolute reliance upon 
purely academic tests of fitness. Finally, it should be borne in mind that the 
order now recommended is in no sense final or exhaustive. Experience will 
doubtless prove in what respects it may be amended or enlarged to the ad¬ 
vantage of the public interest. But meanwhile, it may surely be claimed for it 
that it will be at least a step in the right direction, and a step to be judged 
of not by the advance it itself makes, but by the advance it may rightly be 
expected to inevitably lead to. 

The incumbents of such consular offices as are scarcely inferior in dignity 
and importance to that of minister must, it is believed, continue to be selected 
as heretofore at the personal discretion and upon the personal responsibility 
of the Executive. It is to be borne in mind, too, that there are a large num¬ 
ber of such offices the emoluments of which are less than $1,000—the lowest 
salary attached by law to any consular position—which are paid only by fees, 
and wdiich, as a rule, must be filled from the residents of the particular locality 
where the office is established. The annexed order, therefore, does not apply 
to either of these classes. On the other hand, it does in terms apply to com¬ 
mercial agents, so called, officers with functions to all intents and purposes 
the same as consuls, and thus embraces within its operation nearly three- 
fourths of the whole number of consular and quasi consular offices of such 
rank and yielding such compensation as to be desired and sought for by 
citizens resident within the United States. 

Very respectfully, Richard Olney. 

September 17, 1895. 


EXECUTIVE ORDER. 

It being of great importance that the consuls and commercial agents of the 
United States shall possess the proper qualifications for their respective posi¬ 
tions, to be ascertained either through a satisfactory record of previous actual 
service under the Department of State or through an appropriate examination: 

It is hereby ordered that any vacancy in a consulate or commercial agency 
now or hereafter existing the salary of which is not more than $2,500 nor less 
than $1,000, or the compensation of which, if derived from official fees, ex¬ 
clusive of notarial and other unofficial receipts, does not exceed $2,500 nor fall 
below $1,000, shall be filled (a) by a transfer or promotion from some other 
position under the Department of State of a character tending to qualify the 
incumbent for the position to be filled; or (ft) by appointment of a person not 
under the Department of State but having previously served thereunder to its 
satisfaction in a capacity tending to qualify him for the position to be filled; 
or (c) by the appointment of a person who, having furnished the customary 
evidence of character, responsibility, and capacity, and being thereupon se¬ 
lected by the President for examination, is found upon such examination to be 
qualified for the position. 

For the purposes of this order notarial and unofficial fees shall not be re¬ 
garded, but the compensation of a consulate or commercial agency shall be 
ascertained, if the office is salaried, by reference to the last preceding appro¬ 
priation act, and if the office is not salaried, by reference to the returns of 
official fees for the last preceding fiscal year. 

The examination hereinbefore provided for shall be by a board of three 
persons designated by the Secretary of State who shall also prescribe the sub¬ 
jects to which such * examinations shall relate and the general mode of con¬ 
ducting the same by the board. 



56 


IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


A vacancy in a consulate will be filled at discretion only when a suitable 
appointment can not be made in any of the modes indicated in the second para¬ 
graph of this order. 

Grover Cleveland. 

Executive Mansion, September 20, 1895. 


ORDER OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE. 

In pursuance of the Executive order of September 20, 1895, the Third Assist¬ 
ant Secretary of State, the Solicitor of the State Department, and the Chief 
of the Consular Bureau, or the persons for the time being respectively dis¬ 
charging the duties of said offices, are hereby constituted a board, 1 whose 
duty it shall be, by appropriate examination, to determine the qualifications 
for the respective positions of persons selected for such examination by the 
President and applying for such consulates and commercial agencies as are 
included within the scope of said order. Vacancies occurring in said board, or 
such changes in the membership thereof as experience may prove to be desira¬ 
ble, will be dealt with by additional regulations as occasion may require. 

The examination herein provided for shall be held from time to time at the 
State Department in Washington, upon such notice to candidates as shall give 
them reasonable opportunity to attend for the purpose in question. 

Such examinations shall be by questions and answers in writing, unless for 
special reasons the board consider it desirable in any particular case to con¬ 
duct an examination viva voce, in which case, however, a stenographer shall 
be present and shall report all the proceedings. 

The subjects to which an examination shall relate shall be: 

(1) General education, knowledge of languages, business training and ex¬ 
perience. 

(2) The country in which the consul or commercial agent is to reside, its 
government, chief magistrate, geographical features, principal cities, chief pro¬ 
duction, and its commercial intercourse and relations with the United States. 

(3) The exequatur, its nature and use. 

(4) Functions of a consul or commercial agent as compared with those of a 
vice consul or consular agent: relation of former to latter, also to the United 
States minister or ambassador at the capital of the country. 

(5) Duties of a consul or commercial agent as regards: 

(a) Correspondence with the State Department and the form thereof. 

(b) Passports, granting and viseiug. 

(c) United States merchant vessels in a foreign port, and their crews, 

whether seeking discharge, deserting, or destitute. 

(d) W recks within the jurisdiction. 

(e) Wrongs to United States citizens within jurisdiction. 

(/) Invoices. 

( g ) Official fees and accounts. 

(6) Treaties between the United States and the foreign country. 

(7) Relations of ambassador and minister to laws of the country to which 
they are accredited, as compared with those of consul or commercial agent 
to those of the countries where they reside. 

(8) Acts of ambassador or minister, how far binding upon his country. 

(9) Diplomatic, judicial, and commercial functions of consuls or commercial 
agents. 

(10) Piracy, what it is and where punishable. 

(11) Consular Regulations of the United States, copy of which (to be re¬ 
turned to the department) will be supplied to each candidate 2 3 upon application. 

(12) Such other subject or subjects as the board may deem important and 
appropriate in any particular case. 

The examining board is authorized to issue such notices and to make all such 
rules as they may deem necessary to accomplish the objects of this regulation, 


1 The board of examiners was changed by an order of the Secretary of State dated May 
24, 1897, so as to consist of the Assistant Secretary of State, the Third Assistant Secre¬ 

tary of State, and the Chief of the Consular Bureau, or the persons for the time being re¬ 
spectively discharging the duties of those offices. 

3 Copies of the Consular Regulations are loaned to those applicants only who have been 
notified of their selection for examination. Others may obtain them by purchase from the 
Superintendent of Documents, Washington, D. C., for the sum of 75 cents. 






IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


57 


and immediately upon the conclusion of such examination will make to the 
Secretary of State a report in writing, stating whether in their judgment the 
candidate is or is not qualified for the particular position applied for, and if the 
decision is adverse to the candidate, also briefly summarizing the grounds of 
such decision. 


September 23, 1895. 


Richard Olney, 
Secretory of State. 


SENATOR LODGE’S REPORT, IS96. 


[Senate Report No. 1073, Fifty-fourth Congress, first session.] 

The Committee on Foreign Relations, to whom was referred the bill (S. 1187) 
to provide for the reorganization of the Consular and Diplomatic Service, sub¬ 
mit the following report: 

The following report was made by Mr. Morgan on February 6, 1895, to ac¬ 
company this bill when it was reported to the Senate at that time. It covers 
entirely all the essential points in regard to the proposed reorganization: 

The Consular Service of the United States, like that of other nations, devel¬ 
oped gradually out of the necessities of commerce and the willingness of mer¬ 
chants in foreign countries to represent other governments than tlieir own and 
to discharge certain fiscal and other duties for the sake of the fees to be col¬ 
lected for such services. While the other great commercial nations of the world 
have at intervals down to recent times been active in the improvement of their 
consular service, in order to meet satisfactorily the exigencies of a steadily 
increasing competition in international trade, the consular system of the United 
States has remained practically unchanged since the time it was called into 
existence on a small scale by the acts of July 1. 1790. and of April 14, 1792, and 
kept alive by a number of subsequent unimportant acts. 

The act “ to remodel the diplomatic and consular system,” of March 1, 1S55. 
is entitled to be regarded as an improvement only so far as it slightly enlarged 
the service and corrected certain abuses therein by a closer supervision of the 
fees. It in no way. however, effected a change in the principle of consular 
representation or in the system of appointment. Apart, therefore, from the act 
of June 20, 18G4, which provided for the establishment of a small body of 13 
consular clerks with a permanent tenure of office, a measure which at its in¬ 
ception was intended to form the nucleus of an entire reform of the service on 
that basis, this institution, so important to our foreign trade, has suffered the 
oversight and indifference of Congress. 

This neglect is the more striking and the less excusable when our foreign 
trade of half a century ago is contrasted with that of to-day. In 1850 the 
combined value of our imports and domestic exports amounted to $308,409,759; 
in 1893 it reached the figure of $1,697,431,707. But notwithstanding these pres¬ 
ent vastly increased and far more intricate commercial relations indicated by 
these figures, no step whatever to increase the efficiency of the consular service, 
to which the direction and fostering of these relations are intrusted, has been 
taken. That this has entailed a great loss annually to our foreign trade can 
not be questioned: that there is also an urgent necessity to correct this want of 
efficiency is equally apparent. 

Even "more applicable to the industrial and commercial conditions of to-day, 
but with reference to those of a decade ago. Secretary Frelingliuysen said in 
1884: 

“ Until recently the demands of Europe, which consumed the greater portion 
of our exports, and the condition of the producing countries, were such as to 
give us control in the supply of certain products, such as breadstuff's, provisions, 
cotton, petroleum, etc. The demands of Europe for all these products, and of 
the other continents for petroleum especially, were so positive, and our produc¬ 
ing conditions so favorable, as to give us practically a monopoly for their 
supply. 

“These conditions of international demand and supply are undergoing radical 
changes, which the near future will intensify. 

“The efforts which have been made and which are being made by Europe to 
enlarge the field of supply in the above-mentioned products, aided by the ambi¬ 
tion which prevails in all countries for the development of natural and artificial 
resources to* meet their own wants and to supply the wants of others, have re- 


58 


IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


suited in awakening competition for tlie supply even of those products which 
we have heretofore controlled. It is true that thus far this competition has 
not affected our trade to any appreciable extent, but the desire for development 
which is now abroad, and the ambition which prevails to increase the produc¬ 
tion (outside of the United States) of the foregoing articles, render consular 
supervision of absolute importance. The complex commercial relations and 
industrial interests which n^sv prevail in Europe have originated hostility to 
American products in many countries, and afford additional reasons for the 
enlargement and perfection of the Consular Service.” 1 

In 1888 Mr. Cleveland, in his message to Congress, expresses himself to the 
same effect when he says: “ The reorganization of the Consular Service is a 
matter of serious importance to our national interests,” and in 1893 he again 
refers to the subject as follows: 

“ During my former administration I took occasion to recommend a recast of 
the laws relating to the Consular Service, in order that it might become a more 
efficient agency in the promotion of the interests it was intended to subserve. 
The duties and powers of consuls have been expanded with the growing re¬ 
quirements of our foreign trade. Discharging important duties affecting our 
commerce and American citizens abroad, and in certain countries exercising 
judicial functions, these officers should be men of character, intelligence, and 
ability.” 

In addition to these expressions from a high official source, the necessity of a 
reform has been recognized by men of letters, eminent statesmen, journalists, 
and important boards of trade of this country. 

It must be admitted that the present management of our foreign service is 
burdened with many drawbacks to its efficacy by considerations that relate to 
domestic politics. Partisan policy, when strictly carried out in making appoint¬ 
ments in our foreign service, has no other meaning than that the consular offices 
are primarily regarded as rewards for political services. The real capacity and 
usefulness of a consul is too often a secondary consideration. 

This important and indispensable part of the machinery by which our foreign 
intercourse is conducted is often employed to pension political favorites. That 
to subserve the interests of the service ought to be the sole end in view in the 
selection of incumbents can not be disputed. To consider the offices merely as 
sources from which these partisan officeholders may derive four years of main¬ 
tenance is as absurd as it would be to construct a navy to defend the country 
and to intrust its command to landsmen without experience for whom we might 
desire to provide a living and comfortable quarters. 

Such a purpose, or one not more gratifying, has often been put into practice 
in our Diplomatic and Consular Service. To protect and promote in time of 
peace our varied foreign interests through the agency of a trained personnel is 
not a less-important subject for legislative consideration and provision than in 
time of war to defend them by the most efficient means at our command. 

The object of this act is to provide a system by which persons shall be 
trained for the duties of the Consular Service, so that they shall be able to 
perform them in the best possible way at a reasonable expense to the Govern¬ 
ment. That this can not be obtained without removing the selection of persons 
for this service from the control of party politics is shown by our experience, 
if any proof were required to establish a conclusion so entirely true and indis¬ 
putable. 

Fitness of the candidate, permanency of tenure during good behavior, and an 
impartial method of selection and to govern promotion as reward for efficiency 
are the principles on which a useful Consular Service can alone be based, with 
an expectation of the best results. 

Under our present system a consular or diplomatic officer has no sooner 
familiarized himself with the duties of his office and begun to acquire a knowl¬ 
edge of its business and fitness for his duties than he is removed to make room 
for another novice, who is likewise superseded as soon as his experience begins 
to enable him to discharge the duties of his oflice to the satisfaction of himself 
and others. Thus, in one generation the same post is frequently filled by a 
number of men. who are successively displaced as soon as they have learned to 
transact the business of their offices with something of professional knowledge 
and skill. 

This system is not only unjust to the people, but it is equally unjust to the 
agents, who are thrown back upon their own resources just at the time when a 


1 Communication of the Secretary of State to the President, Mar. 20, 1884. 




IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


59 


three or four years’ preparation has fitted them to devote their energies and 
capacity with advantage to the foreign service. 

To compete successfully with the agents of foreign powers, and to conduct 
advantageously the political and commercial affairs of our own country, the 
appointee to this service should be familiar not only with the laws, customs, 
industries, manufactures, and natural products of our own land, but they should 
be instructed in the laws, pursuits, language, the contributions to commerce, and 
the character of the people to whom they are accredited. To this should be 
added a competent knowledge of the law of nations and of commercial law. As 
long as these officers are transferred from pursuits and associations which have 
no connection with commerce or the foreign service, however able and skillful 
they may be in other things, they can not possess the special knowledge and 
skill which will render their labors either useful or creditable to the Consular 
Service. 

The foreign service of European Governments for many years has been the 
object of careful solicitude on their part.- An outline statement of them will 
better enable us to understand the disadvantage we suffer from a defective 
system. 

The French consular service is composed of— 


40 consuls general, at a salary each_$3, 600 

50 consuls of the first class, each_ 2, 800 

SO consuls of the second class, each_ 2, 000 

100 vice consuls_ 1, 400 

24 pupil consuls_ 800 


The conditions for admission to the diplomatic and consular service of France 
are prescribed in a decree of October 15, 3892, and, to show how important 
France considers its foreign service, attention is called to the fact that over 30 
decrees have been issued since 1880 tending to perfect the system. 

The pupil consuls are appointed by the minister of foreign affairs. They can 
only be drawn from the body of attaches on probation who have passed a com¬ 
petitive examination for admission into the service and who have served not less 
than one year in the home office. 

Before being assigned to a diplomatic or consular post they are required to 
spend at least one year at one of the principal chambers of commerce, where they 
are to acquire a thorough knowledge of the methods and needs of commerce, 
and whence they must send the minister periodical reports on the trade of the 
district. After three years of service, half of which time must be rendered 
abroad, the pupil consul becomes eligible for vice consul, and after a service of 
three years in each subsequent grade he becomes -eligible for promotion to a 
higher one. 

Candidates for admission in the French diplomatic and consular service must 
be under 27 years of age and must have taken a collegiate degree in law. 
science, or letters, or must have passed certain other examinations, or be the 
holders of commissions in the army or navy. 

The examination for entrance into the service is either written or oral, as 
may be required. 

The written test consists of a composition on public and private international 
law and a translation into French from English and German, which is dictated. 
Those candidates who aspire to the diplomatic career are to write also a com¬ 
position on a subject of diplomatic history that occurred since 1648; those 
destined for the consular service must write a composition on a subject of 
political economy or of political and commercial geography. 

Those whose papers are sufficiently creditable in the opinion of the examiners 
to warrant their going any further are then subjected to a public oral exami¬ 
nation on public and private international law, political and commercial 
geography, political economy, and a conversation in English and German. 
Candidates for the diplomatic career are further examined orally in diplomatic 
history since 1648, and candidates for the consular service are examined on 
maritime and customs laws. 

The French foreign service is under very strict discipline, and for misconduct 
or inefficiency there are the following penalties: 

(1) Reprimand. 

(2) Withholding a part of the salary, not exceeding one-half thereof and not 
for a longer period than two months. 







60 


IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


(3) Suspension from the service without salary for two or more years. 

(4) Dismissal. 

The last three penalties are imposed by the minister of foreign affairs, with 
the consent of the council of directors, and after a written or oral hearing of 
the party under censure. 

In addition to their regular salaries, the French consular officers are entitled 
to traveling expenses and allowances for house and office rent, and for enter¬ 
taining where it is necessary. 

Such a course of training and discipline must produce thorough efficiency; and 
the generous rewards given for faithful and profitable service must encourage a 
good class of men to adopt such employment as a profession to which all their 
energies and abilities are industriously devoted. The permanency of employ¬ 
ment, during good behavior, gives confidence to the officer and constantly in¬ 
creasing benefit to the Government. 

The British system of regulations for the admission of applicants to the con¬ 
sular service are as follows: 

“ Persons selected for the consular service, whenever the circumstances of 
their being resident in England, on their first appointment, or of their passing 
through England on their way to take up such first appointment, may admit of 
their being subject to examination, will be expected to satisfy the civil-service 
commissioners— 

“(1) That they have a correct knowledge of the English language, so as to be 
able to express themselves clearly and correctly in writing. 

“(2) That they can write and speak French correctly and fluently. 

“(3) That they have a sufficient knowledge of the current language, as far as 
commerce is concerned, of the port at which they are appointed to reside, to 
enable them to communicate directly with the authorities and natives of the 
place; a knowledge of the German language, being taken to meet this require¬ 
ment for ports in northern Europe; of the Spanish or Portuguese language, as 
may be determined by the secretary of state, for ports in Spain. Portugal. 
Morocco, and South or Central America; and of the Italian language for ports 
in Italy, Greece, Turkey, Egypt, and on the Black Sea or Mediterranean, except 
those in Morocco or Spain. 

“(4) A sufficient knowledge of British mercantile and commercial law to 
enable them to deal with questions arising between British shipowners, ship¬ 
masters. and seamen. As regards this head of examination, candidates must be 
prepared to be examined in ‘ Smith’s Compendium of Mercantile Law.’ 

“(5) A sufficient knowledge of arithmetic for the nature of the duties which 
consuls are required to perform in drawing up commercial tables and reports. 
As regards this head of examination, candidates must be prepared to be ex¬ 
amined in Bishop Colenso’s Arithmetic. 

“ Moreover, all persons on their first nomination to consulships, and after 
having passed their examination before the civil-service commissioners, will be 
required, as far as practicable, to attend for at least three months in the foreign 
office, in order that they may become acquainted with the forms of business as 
carried on there. 

“Limit of age for candidates, 25 and 50, both years inclusive. (Fee for ex¬ 
amination, fl to £6.)” 

Mr. Henry White, formerly secretary of legation at London, in an article con¬ 
tributed to the North American Review, makes the following instructive state¬ 
ments concerning the British consular service: 

“ The British service was established in its present form by act of Parliament 
in 1825 (6 Geo. IV, cap. Si). Up to that time its members had been appointed, 
on no regular system, by the King, and were paid from his civil list. This act 
placed the service under the foreign office, and provided for its payment out of 
funds to be voted by Parliament. Since then it has been the subject of periodi¬ 
cal investigation by royal commissions and Parliamentary committees, with a 
view to the improvement of its efficiency. The evidence'taken on these occa¬ 
sions in published in voluminous blue books, the perusal of which I recommend 
to those interested in the reform in our service. 

“Appointments are made by the secretary of state for foreign affairs. Candi¬ 
dates must be recommended by some one known to him, and their names and 
qualifications are thereupon entered on a list, from which he selects a "name 
when a vacancy occurs. The candidate selected, whose age must be betweem 


IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


61 


25 and 50, is then required to pass an examination before the civil-service com¬ 
missioners. 

“The salaries of British consular officers are fixed, under the act of Parlia¬ 
ment of July 21, 1S91 (54 and 55 Viet., cap. 36), by the secretary of state, with 
the approval of the treasury, and no increase can be made in any salary without 
the approval of the latter. They average about £600 ($3,000) a year, but, of 
course, some of the important posts are much more highly paid, the salary of 
the consul general at New York being £2,000 (nearly $10,000 y, with an office 
allowance besides of £1,660, and a staff consisting of a consul at £600 and two 
vice consuls at £400 and £250, respectively; that of the consul at San Francisco, 
£1,200 (nearly $6,000), with an office allowance of £600 besides. 

“ British consular officials are retired at the age of 70 with a pension. 

“ There is also an unpaid branch of the service, consisting chiefly of vice 
consuls, appointed at places which are not of sufficient importance to merit a 
paid official. They are usually British merchants, but may be foreigners. They 
are not subjected to an examination, and are rarely promoted to a paid appoint¬ 
ment. 

“ Consular clerks are required to pass an examination in handwriting and 
orthography, arithmetic, and one foreign language (speaking, translating, and 
copying).” 

Mr. White through a series of years was our secretary of legation at London, 
and is thoroughly informed on the subject of consular duties and the acquire¬ 
ments that are essential to an efficient and respectable service. His approval 
of the plan adopted in this bill for the reformation of our consular system and 
service is a strong recommendation of its future advantages. 

In Germany persons are appointed to the office of consular chancellor who 
have passed their examinations as “referendary.” a title which requires gradu¬ 
ation at a German university amt requires a thorough knowledge of law, po¬ 
litical science, statistics, etc. The chancellor of the consulate is promoted 
gradually until he reaches the rank of consul general. 

As a rule the personnel of our consular establishment is not in unfavorable 
contrast with that of the leading European States as to intelligence and sa¬ 
gacity; but our consuls have not usually the liberal education characteristic of 
the consular representatives of the great European States, nor are they so well 
informed as to commerce and its great variety of contributory pursuits, or with 
the exact business methods employed in conducting the commerce of the leading 
nations. This seems to be our point of most serious deficiency. 

It is proper, and may be necessary, that the laws should designate the places 
at which consulates are established, but discretion should be given to the Presi¬ 
dent to send consuls to other places, at least temporarily, to meet the demands 
of trade and intercourse that may arise in new and unexpected quarters. Espe¬ 
cially is this necessary in cases where other countries are engaged in war, and 
a sudden emergency calls for the protection of our citizens in places which are 
not designated by law as the location of consular establishments. 

But the laws should not designate the individual who is to be the consul at 
any particular locality. That matter should be left to the discretion of the 
President, so that he can at all times have the right man at the right place, 
to meet any demand of trade or to secure the adequate protection of the persons 
and property of our citizens in any emergency, or for any public reason. 

The arrangement of the fixed residences of consuls of the several classes is 
not attempted in this bill. The laws and the practice of the Department of 
State are. for the present at least, a sufficient guide in that matter. 

The President should, however, be left free in his authority to send a consul 
of any class to any consulate when he may consider that the demands of the 
public service require such transfers. 

The reasons for such a provision of law are many and cogent, and they are 
so obvious as not to require any elaboration in this report. They relate as well 
to the fitness of consular officers for the particular duties of the occasion as to 
their usefulness because of their experience as to the condition of the people, 
the trade, and the language of the particular locality where their services are 
required. 

The consular establishments thus mobilized would soon show a great growth 
in useful knowledge of the affairs of various parts of foreign countries, and our 
trade with many foreign countries would be greatly increased and rendered 
more secure. 

The following statements, showing the present condition of our Consular 
Service, will show that the change in the organization of the system will add 


62 


IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


materially to the revenue derived from that source, without a material increase 
of the expenditures: 

Expenditures for salaries of consular officers and amount of compensation in 
fees, where the officer has no salary, for the year 189f. 

26 consuls general (not including those also commissioned ministers 


resident) __$98, 000. 00 

188 salaried consuls_ 371,500.00 

11 salaried commercial agents- 22, 000. 00 

13 salaried consular clerks_ 15, 000. 00 

62 feed consuls (personal perquisites in official fees)- 36,152.85 

33 feed commercial agents (personal perquisites in official fees)— 36, 505. 53 

Notarial and unofficial fees retained by consular officers as per¬ 
sonal perquisites (lowest estimate)- 250,000.00 


333 Total_ 829,158.38 

Officer -s* of the Diplomatic Service embraced in this bill. 

6 secretaries of embassy_$13,875.00 

17 secretaries of legation- 31, 975. 00 


23 Total_^_ 45, 850. 00 

According to the Annual Report of the Fifth Auditor of the Treasury for the 
year ended June 30, 1894—• 

The expenses for last year of the Consular Service were_$1, 055, 417. 43 

The consular fees received for official services were_ 758, 410. 81 


Excess of expenditures over receipts_ 297, 006. 62 


This excess of expenses is larger than it has been for 10 years. In 1893 it 
only amounted to $96,042. The difference is not due to an increase of expendi¬ 
tures, but, no doubt, may be found to a great extent in the changes of our tariff 
laws. This excess, though larger than customary, is, after all, a small sum 
when considered with reference to the important purposes for which it is dis¬ 
bursed, and, with the payment into the Treasury of the unofficial fees, as pro¬ 
posed under this bill, it is likely to be greatly reduced, if not changed into a 
balance in favor of the income from that source. 

The entire excess of expenditures for salaries in the Department of State and 
in the Diplomatic and Consular Service over the receipts amounts to only 
$615,909.19, the smallest amount expended by any of the great powers of the 
world. The expenditures of the foreign service of Great Britain, Russia, Ger¬ 
many, Italy, and Spain exceed this amount by very considerable figures, and 
the report of the ministry of foreign affairs of France for the year 1893 shows 
only $240,000 receipts and $3,266,960 expenditures, a sum almost double that 
expended by the United States, including even the incidental and contingent 
expenses of the Consular and Diplomatic Service of the latter country. 

This bill adopts the principle of permanent official tenure, so far as the laws 
can control that subject, but permanent only as it is of benefit to the service. 
It leaves the power of removal from office to the discretion of the President. 
The position of each employee of the service is protected against the uncertain 
and demoralizing effects of changes for merely political reasons in the adminis¬ 
tration of the Government as far as Congress can control the subject. But this 
protection is as necessary in practice for efficient work as it is just in theory, 
and if the plan is adopted of appointing consuls after they are found to be 
qualified for the respective classifications of the Consular Service they will 
seldom, if ever, be dropped from the service for the purpose of supplying their 
places with political favorites. 

The required examination for appointment and promotion creates an impedi¬ 
ment in the way of those who may demand office as a reward for political 
partisanship, without having adequate knowledge of the duties of this peculiar 
branch of the public service. 

Each consul must on frequent occasions be the judge of his proper line^of 
action without aid or direction from the minister to whom he is required*to 
report or from the Department of State. In such cases it is requisite to the 


















IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 63 

honor and security of the Government that the consul should be well informed 
as to his duties. 

The right of the President to select from the whole body of consuls any man 
for any place he may prefer, and to assign him to such place for duty, and to 
transfer him at pleasure to another place, is the full equivalent of tlie power 
of appointment to a particular office. 

These functions are to be exercised in foreign countries, for the most part 
distant from the United States, and disconnect the incumbents from participa¬ 
tion in our home politics. 

In so far as they may be given as rewards for party services, they are a sort 
of pension system for men who have not been successful in getting offices at 
home or who have failed of success in the usual channels of business. 

The consular system should be based upon the plan of personal qualification 
for its important and peculiar duties, ascertained by the examination and ex¬ 
perience of those employed in it, rather than upon the plan of selecting those 
for this service who have failed in other pursuits or those who desire to go 
abroad for purposes of travel, recreation, or amusement. 

This is the only branch of the public service that has been used to any great 
extent for the gratification of the incumbents, without regard to their capacity 
to render efficient service to the country, and it is time that our policy in respect 
of these offices was changed. 

Taken in the aggregate, there is no class of representatives of our Govern¬ 
ment who can so seriously affect our commerce with other countries, in their 
actual and direct conduct and dealings, as our consuls and commercial agents. 

We should encourage our best classes of people to qualify themselves for this 
important service by giving them just compensation for their work and by 
securing them in these offices during good behavior. 

They have much to do with the dignity of our Government, its credit in 
foreign lands, the honor of its llag, and the safety of its citizens. 

Since Mr. Morgan made the report just given, a portion of the Consular 
Service has been classified in accordance with an Executive order, which is as 
follows: 

EXECUTIVE ORDER. 

It being of great importance that the consuls and commercial agents of the 
United States shall possess the proper qualifications for their respective posi¬ 
tions. to be ascertained either through a satisfactory record of previous actual 
service under the Department of State or through an appropriate examination: 

It is hereby ordered that any vacancy in a consulate or commercial agency 
now or hereafter existing, the salary of which is not more than .$2,500 nor less 
than $1,000, or the compensation of which, if derived from official fees, exclusive 
of notarial and other unofficial receipts, does not exceed $2,500 nor fall below 
$1,000, shall be filled (a) by a transfer or promotion from some other position 
under the Department of State of a character tending to qualify the incumbent 
for the position to be filled; or (b) by appointment of a person not under the 
Department of State but having previously served thereunder to its satisfaction 
in a capacity tending to qualify him for the position to be filled; or ( c ) by the 
appointment of a person who, having furnished the customary evidence of char¬ 
acter, responsibility, and capacity, and being thereupon selected by the Presi¬ 
dent for examination, is found upon such examination to be qualified for the 
position. 

For the purposes of this order notarial and unofficial fees shall not be re¬ 
garded, but the compensation of a consulate or commercial agency shall be 
ascertained, if the office is salaried, by reference to the last preceding appro¬ 
priation act, and if the office is not salaried, by reference to the returns of 
official fees for the last preceding fiscal year. 

The examination hereinbefore provided for shall be by a board of three per¬ 
sons designated by the Secretary of State, who shall also prescribe the subject to 
which such examinations shall relate and the general mode of conducting the 
same by the board. 

A vacancy in a consulate will be filed at discretion only when a suitable 
appointment can not be made in any of the modes indicated in the second para¬ 
graph of this order. 

Grover Cleveland. 

Executive Mansion, September 20, 1895. 

It will be seen that this provides only partially for the Consular Service and 
does not diminish the need of the comprehensive reorganization proposed by the 


64 


IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


accompanying bill; in fact, the scheme proposed in the bill is an extension of 
that established by the Executive order, and gives not only complete reorgani¬ 
zation, but the authority of law to the classification, which now rests merely 
on a departmental order. 


Information Regarding Appointments and Promotions in the Consular 

Service of tiie United States. 

REGULATIONS GOVERNING APPOINTMENTS AND PROMOTIONS—EXECUTIVE ORDERS. 

Whereas the Congress, by section 1753 of the Revised Statutes of the United 
States, has provided as follows: 

“ The President is authorized to prescribe such regulations for the admission 
of persons into the civil service of the United States as may best promote the 
efficiency thereof, and ascertain the fitness of each candidate in respect to age, 
health, character, knowledge, and ability for the branch of service into which 
he seeks to enter; and for this purpose he may employ suitable persons to con¬ 
duct such inquiries, and may prescribe their duties, and establish regulations for 
the conduct of persons who may receive appointments in the civil service.” 

And whereas the Congress has classified and graded the consuls general and 
consuls of the United States by the act entitled “An act to provide for the reor¬ 
ganization of the Consular Service of the United States,” approved April 5, 
1906, and has thereby made it practicable to extend to that branch of the civil 
service the aforesaid provisions of the Revised Statutes and the principles em¬ 
bodied in the civil-service act of January 16, 1883: 

Now, therefore, in the exercise of the powers conferred upon him by the Con¬ 
stitution and laws of the United States, the President makes the following regu¬ 
lations to govern the selection of consuls general and consuls in the civil service 
of the United States, subject always to the advice and consent of the Senate: 

1. Vacancies in the office of consul general and in the office of consul above 
class 8 shall be filled by promotion from the lower grades of the Consular Serv¬ 
ice, based upon ability and efficiency as shown in the service. 

2. Vacancies in the office of consul of class 8 and of consul of class 9 shall be 
filled— 

(a) 1 By promotion, on the basis of ability and efficiency as shown in the 
service, of consular assistants 2 and of vice consuls, deputy consuls, consular 
agents, student interpreters, and interpreters in the Consular or Diplomatic 
Service who shall have been appointed to such offices upon examination. 

(?)) By new appointments of candidates who have passed a satisfactory exam¬ 
ination for appointment as consul, as hereafter provided. 

3. Persons in the service of the Department of State with salaries of $2,000 
or upward shall be eligible for promotion, on the basis of ability and efficiency 
as shown in the service, to any grade of the Consular Service above class 8 of 
consuls. 

4. The Secretary of State, or such officer of the Department of State as the 
President shall designate, the Director of the Consular Service. 3 the Chief of the 
Consular Bureau, 1 and the chief examiner of the Civil Service Commission, or 
some person whom said commission shall designate, shall constitute a board of 
examiners for admission to the Consular Service. 

5. It shall be the duty of the board of examiners to formulate rules for and 
hold examinations of applicants for admission to the Consular Service. 

6. The scope and method of the examinations shall be determined by the 
board of examiners, but among the subjects shall be included at least one mod- 
ern language other than English; the natural, industrial, and commercial re¬ 
sources and the commerce of the United States, especially with reference to the 
possibilities of increasing and extending the trade of the United States with for¬ 
eign countries; political economy; elements of international, commercial, and 
maritime law. 

7. Examination papers shall be rated on a scale of 100, and no person rated 
at less than 80 shall be eligible for certification. 

8. No one shall be examined who is under 21 or over 50 years of age, or who 
is not a citizen of the United States, or who is not of good character and habits 
and physically and mentally qualified for the proper performance of consular 


1 As amended by Executive orders of Dec. 12. 190G, and Apr 20 1907 

2 As amended by the act approved May 21. 1908. 

3 As amended by Executive order of Dec. 8, 1909. 






IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


65 


work, or who has not been specially designated by the President for appointment 
to the Consular Service subject to examination. 

9. Whenever a vacancy shall occur in the eighth or ninth class of consuls 
which the President may deem it expedient to fill the Secretary of State shall 
inform the board of examiners, who shall certify to him the list of those persons 
eligible for appointment, accompanying the certificate with a detailed report 
showing the qualifications, as revealed by examination, of the persons so certi¬ 
fied. If it be desired to fill a vacancy in a consulate in a country in which the 
United States exercises extraterritorial jurisdiction, the Secretary of State 
shall so inform the board of examiners, who shall include in the list of names 
certified by it only such persons as have passed the examination provided for 
in this order and who also have passed an examination in the fundamental prin¬ 
ciples of the common law, the rules of evidence, and the trial of civil and 
criminal cases. The list of names which the board of examiners shall certify 
shall be sent to the President for his information. 

30. No promotion shall be made except for efficiency, as shown by the work 
that the officer has accomplished, the ability, promptness, and diligence dis¬ 
played by him in the performance of all his official duties, his conduct, and his 
fitness for the Consular Service. 

11. 1 It shall be the duty of the board of examiners to formulate rules for and 
hold examinations of persons designated for appointment as consular assist¬ 
ant 2 or as student interpreter, and of such persons designated for appointment 
as vice consul, deputy consul, and consular agent, as shall desire to become 
eligible for promotion. The scope and method of such examination shall be 
determined by the board of examiners, but it shall include the same subjects 
hereinbefore prescribed for the examination of consuls. Any vice consul, deputy 
consul, or consular agent now in the service, upon passing such an examination, 
shall become eligible for promotion, as if appointed upon such examination. 

12. In designations for appointment subject to examination and in appoint¬ 
ments after examination, due regard will be had to the rule, that as between 
candidates of equal merit, appointments should be so made as to secure propor¬ 
tional representation of all the States and Territories in the Consular Service; 
and neither in the designation for examination or certification or appointment 
will the political affiliations of the candidate be considered. 

Theodore Roosevelt. 

The White House, June 21, 1906. 


No officer or employee of the Government shall, directly or indirectly, instruct 
or be concerned in any manner in the instruction of any person or classes of 
persons, with a view to their special preparation for the examinations of the 
boards of examiners for the Diplomatic and Consular Services. 

The fact that any officer or employee is found so engaged shall he considered 
sufficient cause for his removal from the service. 

Wm. II. Taft. 

The White House, December 23, 1910. 

REGULATIONS GOVERNING EXAMINATIONS PROMULGATED BY THE BOARD OF EXAMINERS 

DECEMBER 13, 190G. 

1. The examinations will be the same for all grades and will be to determine 
a candidate’s eligibility for appointment in the Consular Service, irrespective 
of the grade for which he may have been designated for examination and with¬ 
out regard to any particular office for which he may be selected. 

2. The examinations will consist of an oral and a written one, the two count¬ 
ing equally. The object of the oral examination will be to determine the candi¬ 
date’s business ability, alertness, general contemporary information, and nat¬ 
ural fitness for the service, including moral, mental, and physical qualifications, 
character, address, and general education and good command of English. In 
this part of the examination the applications previously filed will he given due 
weight by the board of examiners, especially as evidence of the applicant’s 
business experience and ability. The written examination will include those 


1 As amended by Executive order of Dec. 12, 1906. 

2 As amended by the act approved May 21, 1908. 

FI. Kept. 840. 62-2 


-5 






66 


IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


subjects mentioned ill the Executive order, to wit, at least one modern language 
other than English—French. German, or Spanish; 1 the natural, industrial, and 
commercial resources and the commerce of the United States, especially with 
reference to possibilities of increasing and extending the foreign trade of the 
United States; political economy, and the elements of international, commer¬ 
cial, and maritime law. It will likewise include American history, government, 
and institutions; political and commercial geography; arithmetic (as used in 
commercial statistics, tariff calculations, exchange, accounts, etc.) ; the modern 
history, since 1850, of Europe, Latin America, and the Far East, with particular 
attention to political, commercial, and economic tendencies. In the written 
examination, composition, grammar, punctuation, spelling, and writing will be 
given attention. 

3. To become eligible for appointment, except as student interpreter, in a 
country where the United States exercises extraterritorial jurisdiction, the ap¬ 
plicant must pass the examination outlined above, but supplemented by ques¬ 
tions to determine his knowledge of the fundamental principles of common law, 
the rules of evidence, and the trial of civil and criminal cases. 

4. The examinations to be given candidates for appointment as student inter¬ 
preters will follow the same course as in the case of other consular officers; 
provided, however, that no one will be examined for admission to the Consular 
Service as a student interpreter who is not between the ages of 19 and 26, 
inclusive, and unmarried; and provided further, that upon appointment each 
student interpreter shall sign an agreement to continue in the service so long 
as his services may be required within a period of five 2 years. 

5. Upon the conclusion of the examinations the names of the candidates who 
shall have attained upon the whole examination an average mark of at least 80. 
as required by the Executive order, will be certified by the board to the Secre¬ 
tary of State as eligible for appointment in the Consular Service, and the suc¬ 
cessful candidates will be informed that this has been done. 

6. The names of candidates will remain on the eligible list for two years, 
except in the case of such candidates as shall within that period be appointed 
or as shall withdraw their names and of candidates holding subordinate posi¬ 
tions in the Consular Service, when eligibility shall not expire until appointment 
to consular rank or until separation from the service. Candidates whose names 
have thus been dropped from the eligible list will not again be eligible for 
appointment unless upon fresh application, designation anew for examination, 
and the successful passing of the second examination. 3 

INFORMATION FOR APPLICANTS. 

The next Consular Service examination will probably not be held until the 
spring of 1913. 

Consular Service examinations are held in Washington only. 

Blank forms of application for appointment may be had upon application to 
the Department of State. 

Although designations for examination are made by the President, applica¬ 
tions for appointment should be addressed to the Secretary of State. 

Applications are considered as pending for a period of two years. After such 
period has elapsed without their being acted upon another applcation with 
indorsements will be necessary to obtain for them further consideration. 

Applicants for appointment, in their correspondence with the department, 
should always sign their names as given in their applications without enlarge¬ 
ment or contraction. 

A candidate is not designated for examination with a view to his appointment 
to a particular post, but in order to determine his eligibility for appointment 
to such a post as in the judgment of the department his services would best 
serve the public interests. 

No special training is accepted in lieu of the prescribed examination, and no 
transfers without examination are made to the Consular Service from other 
branches of the Government service. The successful passing of the regular 
entrance examination, except as provided for in regulations 2 and 3 of the 
Executive order of June 27, 1906, is necessary for appointment. 

The department is not able definitely to forecast when vacancies in the service 
may occur. 


1 As amended by the board of examiners Feb. 18, 1911 

2 As amended by the act approved May 21, 1908. 

3 As amended by the board of examiners Oct. 25, 1911. 




IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


67 


Clerks in consular offices and vice and deputy consuls are appointed without 
examination, but are only eligible for appointment to the grade of consul upon 
the passing of the regular entrance examination. 

Appointments to the Consular Service are made only after a rigid physical 
examination of the candidate. 

It is not the practice of the department to designate for examination vice or 
deputy consuls or clerks in consulates until they have served at least two 
years. 

The written language examinations include papers in French, German, and 
Spanish only. , 

Dependent upon the number of candidates, the examinations last from three 
to six days. 


GENERAL INFORMATION REGARDING CONSULAR OFFICERS. 

Duties of consular officers .-^Consular officers are expected to endeavor to 
maintain and promote all the rightful interests of American citizens and to 
protect them in all privileges provided for by treaty or conceded by usage; to 
visa and, when so authorized, to issue passports; when permitted by treaty, 
law. or usage, to take charge of and settle the personal estate of Americans 
who may die abroad without legal or other representatives and remit the pro¬ 
ceeds to the Treasury in case they are not called for by a.legal representative 
within one year; to ship, discharge, and under certain conditions maintain and 
send American seamen to the United States; to settle disputes between masters 
and seamen of American vessels; to investigate charges of mutiny or insubor¬ 
dination on the high seas and send mutineers to the United States for trial; 
to render assistance in the case of wrecked or stranded American vessels, and, 
in the absence of the master or other qualified person, take charge of the wrecks 
and cargoes if permitted to do so by the laws of the country; to receive the 
papers of American vessels arriving at foreign ports and deliver them after the 
discharge of the obligations of the vessels toward the members of their crews 
and upon the production of clearances from the proper foreign port officials; 
to certify to the correctness of the valuation of merchandise exported to the 
United States where the shipment amounts to more than $100; to act as official 
witnesses to marriages of American citizens abroad; to aid in the enforcement 
of the immigration laws and to certify to the correctness of the certificates 
issued by Chinese and other officials to Chinese persons coming to the United 
States; to protect the health of our seaports by reporting weekly the sanitary 
and health conditions of the ports at which they reside and by issuing to vessels 
clearing for use the United States bills of health describing the condition of the 
ports, the vessels, crews, passengers, and cargoes; and to take depositions and 
perform other acts which notaries public in the United States are authorized or 
required to perform. A duty of prime importance is the promotion of American 
commerce by reporting available opportunities for the introduction of our prod¬ 
ucts, aiding in the establishment of relations between American and foreign 
commercial houses, and lending assistance wherever practicable to the market¬ 
ing of American merchandise abroad. 

In addition to the foregoing duties, consular officers in China, Turkey, Siam, 
Maskat, Morocco, and a few other so-called non-Christian countries, are invested 
with judicial powers over American citizens in those countries. These powers 
are usually defined by treaty, but generally include the trial of civil cases to 
which Americans are parties, and in some instances extend to the trial of criminal 
cases. 

Vice consular officers .—A vice consular officer takes the place and exercises 
all the functions or powers of a consul general or consul when the latter is 
temporarily absent or relieved from duty. He receives no salary except in the 
absence of the consul general or consul, when he receives one-half of that 
officer’s salary (in the absence of an agreement to the contrary). For the 
period during which the consul general or consul may be absent beyond 60 
days and the time necessary to make the journey to and from the United States, 
the vice consular officer receives the entire salary of the office. It is usual to 
give a vice consul regular employment as a clerk in the consular office, in which 
case he receives regular compensation at the rate of from $300 to $1,500 a 
year, according to the importance of the office and the nature of the work to 
be performed. For such appointments no examination is required, but to be¬ 
come eligible for promotion to the grade of consul a vice consular officer must 
successfully pass the prescribed entrance examination. 


68 


IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


Deputy consular officers .—A deputy consular officer is a subordinate of a con¬ 
sul general or consul, under whose supervision he exercises consular functions, 
usually of a routine character. He never assumes the responsible charge of 
the office, that being the duty of the vice consul. His compensation is limited 
to that which he may receive for performing duties as clerk, and varies from 
$300 to $1,500 a year, according to the importance of the post. For such ap¬ 
pointments no examination is required, but to become eligible for promotion 
to the grade of consul a deputy consular officer must successfully pass the pre¬ 
scribed entrance examination. 

Consular agents .— A consular agent is an officer subordinate to a consul gen¬ 
eral or consul, exercising similar powers at ports or places different from those 
at which the consulate general or consulate is situated. lie acts under the 
direction of his principal, and one-half of the fees collected by him constitute 
his compensation, which may not exceed $1,000 in any one year. 

Consular assistants .— There are 30*consular assistants, who are appointed 
by the President and hold office during good behavior. They may be assigned 
from time to time to such consular offices and with such duties as the Secretary 
of State may direct. When so assigned they are subordinate to the principal 
officer at the post, and perform such clerical or other duties of the office as he 
may designate. They receive a salary of $1,000 a year for the first three years, 
and thereafter $200 a year additional each succeeding year until a maximum 
of $1,S00 is reached. Candidates for the office of consular assistant must be 
over 18 years of age. Consular assistants are eligible for promotion to the 
grade of consul without further examination. 

Clerks in consular offices .— Clerks are employed at the various consular 
offices and receive compensation varying, as a rule, from $300 to $1,500 a year, 
beginning with their arrival and entrance upon duty at the consular office. 
Their duties embrace bookkeeping, letter writing, recording correspondence, and 
routine consular work. They are frequently appointed upon nomination of a 
consul general or consul, but the Department of State exercises its right to make 
independent appointments whenever that course appears to be in the interest of 
the service. Preference is given to American citizens for clerkships of all 
grades, and only such citizens will be considered for appointment to positions 
the compensation of which is $1,000 a year or more. 

For such appointments no examination is required, but to become eligible for 
promotion to the grade of student interpreter, consular assistant, or consul a 
clerk in a consular office must successfully pass the prescribed entrance exami¬ 
nation. 

Applications for clerical appointments should be filed with the Department of 
State. In view, however, of the fact that such appointments are frequently 
made upon the nomination of the principal officer under whom service is to be 
rendered, direct correspondence with the principal officer at the post in which 
the applicant particularly desires to serve is also advisable. 

Student interpreters. —Provision is made for 10 student interpreters at the 
legation to China, 6 at the embassy to Japan, and 10 at the embassy to Turkey. 
These officers receive annual salaries of $1,000 and allowances for tuition of 
$125 each, and are required to study the language of the country with a view of 
supplying interpreters to the American diplomatic and consular offices in China, 
Japan, and Turkey. Upon receiving an appointment each student interpreter 
is required to sign an agreement to continue in the service as interpreter to the 
legations and consulates so long as his services may be required within a period 
of five years. After acquiring the language of the country they may be as¬ 
signed to duty in diplomatic or consular offices, and are eligible to promotion 
to the office of interpreter and to that of consul of class 8 or 9. 

A special pamphlet has bee*i prepared by the department regarding the stu¬ 
dent-interpreter corps. Copies will be furnished upon request. 

Marshals for consular courts .— Marshals are provided for certain of the con¬ 
sular courts in China and at Constantinople, Turkey, where the American con¬ 
suls are invested with judicial powers over American citizens. It is the duty 
of marshals to execute all process issued by the ambassador or minister of the 
United States, or by the consuls at the ports at which they reside, and to make 
due return thereof, and to perform the duties comprehended in the consular 
court regulations. They are also required to assist in the general work of the 
consulates. 

Compensation of consular officers .—All consular officers whose respective sal¬ 
aries exceed $1,000 a year are prohibited from engaging in private business in 
the country in which they have their official residence, and the department may 


IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


69 


extend this prohibition to any other consular officer or employee. Consular offi¬ 
cers are required to account for all fees collected by them, and the salaries 
fixed by law or regulation constitute their sole and only compensation, except 
as specially provided in the case of consular agents, who are compensated, up 
to the limit of $1,000, by one-half of the fees collected by them. 

Traveling expenses. —Consuls general, consuls, and student interpreters are 
entitled to additional compensation of 5 cents a mile when traveling under or¬ 
ders of the Secretary of State and in going to and returning from their posts, 
except in connection with leaves of absence. Consular assistants are allowed 
actual and necessary traveling expenses, but no provision is made for traveling 
expenses of clerks in consular offices. 

Examinations. —As will be seen by reference to the foregoing regulations for 
promotion and examination, all candidates for the offices of consul of class 8 
or 9, consular assistant, and student interpreter, and also candidates for the 
offices of vice and deputy consular officer and consular agent who may desire 
to become eligible for promotion are required to pass the prescribed examina¬ 
tion. Candidates for the offices of vice and deputy consular officer and consular 
agent who do not desire to become eligible for promotion, and of clerk in a con¬ 
sular office, are not required to be examined. 

SAMPLE EXAMINATION FOR THE CONSULAR SERVICE. 

[Examinations of April, 1912.] 

First subject, international, maritime, and commercial law. 

Persons examined for consular assistant and student interpreter will answer 
six (and only six) of the following questions: 

1. (a) Distinguish between citizenship and domicile. (b) Name three ways 
in which citizenship may be terminated. 

2. In the absence of treaty stipulations, what effect will the return of a 
naturalized citizen of the United States to his native country have with regard 
to liability to military service? 

3. (a) A vessel being overdue, her owners took out insurance to cover vessel 
and cargo. It subsequently appeared that when such insurance was taken out 
the vessel had already been wrecked and the cargo lost. Can the owners col¬ 
lect the insurance? (b) What rate of insurance may legally be charged on a 
respondentia bond? 

4. Discuss the question of the right of a neutral power to have commercial 
dealings with a belligerent. 

5. What is the modern practice with reference to private property of citi¬ 
zens of one belligerent power found within the territory of the other bellig¬ 
erent ? 

6. What is the practice with reference to private property found on the high 
seas under the following circumstances: (1) Neutral goods, not contraband, 
under an enemy’s flag; (2) enemy’s goods, not contraband, under a neutral 
flag; (3) contraband goods under a neutral flag and consigned to a neutral 
port ? 

7. A, the holder of a promissory note made by B and indorsed by C, accepted 
from B, on the day the note fell due, a check dated six days later, which check 
was to be in full satisfaction of the note. The check proved worthless when 
presented on the day of its date, and B failed to pay the note. Has A a right of 
action against C, the indorser? Why? 

8. (a) Define bill of lading, invoice, power of attorney, and bill of exchange, 
(b) Under what circumstances, if any, may a bank avoid liability for the pay¬ 
ment of a forged check? 

Second subject, political and commercial geography. 

Persons examined for consular assistant and student interpreter will answer 
four (and only four) of the following questions: 

1. (a) Name five seaports on the east coast of Asia north of Singapore and 
exclusive of Japan, (b) Locate (1) the Gulf of Bothnia; (2) the Black Sea; 
(3) the Kongo River; (4) Lake Athabasca; (5) Lake Nyasa. 

2 (a) Name two principal silk-producing countries, (b) Give two leading 
exports of (1) Argentina, (2) xYustralia, (3) Norway, (4) India. 

3 (a) Name the two river valleys which produce the most rubber, (b) 
What two countries are the greatest manufacturers of steel? (c) What are the 
two greatest cotton-pr$lucing countries in the world? 


70 


IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


4. (a) To wliat countries, respectively, do the following belong: (1) The 
Bermudas; (2) Iceland; (3) the Gallipagos Islands; (4) the Caroline Islands; 
(5) Madagascar? (&) In what country is each of the following-named cities: 
(1) Asuncion; (2) Adelaide; (3) Fez; (4) Teheran; (5) Liege? 

5. Name eight bodies of water through which a ship would pass on a direct 
voyage from Baltimore to Odessa. 

Third subject, arithmetic. 

1. The following table shows the number of passengers departing from 
seaports of the United States for foreign countries during a period of six years. 
Find the “ total number of passengers departed ” for each of the years given 
in the table and the “ grand total ” for all the years. 


Year. 

Cabin passengers. 

Passengers other than 
cabin. 

Total number pas¬ 
sengers departed. 

Under 12 
years. 

12 years 
and over. 

Under 12 
years. 

12 years 
and over. 

1898. 

8,891 
11,042 
17,758 
13,972 
13,074 
11,959 

85,663 
117,205 
138,137 
134,592 
145,078 
156,725 

15,790 
15,283 
23,001 
19,010 
20,323 
22,477 

115,067 
112,478 
114,498 
139,150 
148,325 
184,100 


1899. 


1900. 


1901. 


1902. 


1903. 


Grand total. 














2. Make in the form below an itemized statement of the following account 
as it should appear taken from the books of Robert Rant; make a proper 
heading; close the account; and bring down the balance as it should have 
appeared February 1, 1911: 

During the month of January, 1911, Russel & Son had the following transac¬ 
tions with Robert Rant. January 1, he owed them on account $98.75. January 
2, he gave them his note due in 20 days for $50. January 4, he sold them 280 
pounds of coffee at 30i cents per pound. January 5, he bought of them 369 
bushels corn at 68 cents per bushel. January 6, he sold them 2,750 feet lumber 
at $16.40 per thousand. January 8, he transferred to them by indorsement a 
note of $400, less a discount of $4. January 25, he bought of them 2.650 pounds 
of sugar at 44 cents per pound, agreeing to pay the freight also at 18 cents 
per 100 pounds, the freight to be prepaid by them. January 29, they sold him 
5,600 pounds coal at $6.30 per ton of 2,240 pounds. 

- in account with -. 



3. A merchant bought goods for $2,05S. For how much money must they be 
marked to sell in order that he may give a trade discount of 12£ per cent, lose 
16§ per cent by bad debts, and still make a gain of 14? per cent of the cost? 

4. The duty on certain woven fabrics in the piece is as follows: 

If weighing not over one-third ounce per square yard, $4 per pound. 

If weighing over one-third ounce but not over two-thirds ounce per square 
yard, $3 per pound. 

If weighing over two-thirds ounce but not over 1 ounce per square yard 
$2.65 per pound. 

If weighing over 1 ounce per square yard, $2.50 per pound. 

What is the duty on an importation of such fabrics containing 79.200 meters, 
three-fourths yard wide, the total weight of the importation being 1,200 kilos ? 

1 meter=39.37 inches; 1 kilo=2.046 pounds.) 

(All the work of determining the rate of duty must be given in full, absolute 
exactness being required. Compute the duty on the nearest whole number of 
pounds in the importation.) 




















































IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


71 


Fourth subject, modern languages. 

Make a close translation of one (and only one) of the following into idio¬ 
matic English : 

Habana, 5 de Julio, 1911. 

Sres. J. H. y Ca, Londres. 

Muy Sres. mios : Me ha mencionado nuestro amigo comun el' Sr. D. J. R., 
capitan de la “ Libertad ”, su casa de Uds. en Londres como una de las mas 
respetables; me amparo pues de esta ocasion para entablar correspondencia con 
Uds., tomandome la libertad de remitirles adjunta la factura de embarque de 
12 barriles de azticar, cargados para Londres con direccion a la casa de Uds. 
sobre el navio el “ William and Mary,” capitan T. Tengan Uds. a bien el operar 
la venta de dichas mercancias con arreglo a mis mejores intereses, guardando 
entre manos el producto neto a mi disposicion. La calidad es excelente, y 
espero que el resnltado <le este ensayo no sera sino el comenzamiento ft 
consignaciones de mas importancia. Para meterme al abrigo de toda perdida 
he hecho asegurar el montante de dichas mercancias. Snplico a Uds. tengan 
la bondad de informarme, por cada correo, del estado de su mercado en 
ron, azticar. c-afe y algodon, y enviarme los precios corrientes de sus ex- 
portaciones para esta parte del mundo. Me aprovecho de esta ocasion para 
ofrecerles a Uds. mis servicios en esta isla. refiriendoles para mi solvabilidad al 
capitan Ribero que debe llegar a Londres uno de estos dias. 

Esperando de Uds. prontas noticias me repito de Uds. atto. y S. S. 

J. S. 

Kingston. Jamaique, le .5 Juillet, 1911. 

Messieurs V. et fils d Anvers. 

Notre ami commun, M. J. Roberts, capitaine du “ Trelawney ”, m’ayant men- 
tionne votre maison a Anvers comme line de plus respectables, je saisis cette 
occasion pour entamer une correspondence avec vous. en prenant la liberte de 
vous adresser ci-inclus le connaissement de douze tonneaux de sucre, charges 
pour Londres a votre adresse, sur le navire “William et Mary”, capitaine John 
Gray. Veuillez operer la vente de cette marchandise an mieux de mes in- 
terets, en gardant en vos mains le produit net a ma disposition. La qualite est 
excellente, et j’espere que le resultat de ce petit essai sera un encouragement a 
des consignations plus considerables. Pour me garder de toute perte j’ai fait 
assurer le montant ici: ceci pour votre gouverne. Je vous prie de me renseigner 
par chaque paquebot sur l’etat de votre marche pour le rhum, le sucre, le cafe, 
et le coton, ainsi que de m’envoyer les prix-courants de vos exportations pour 
cette partie du monde. Je saisis cette occasion pour ions faire l’offre de mes 
services dans cette lie, m’en referant pour ma solidity a M. le capitaine Rob¬ 
erts. qui doit etre arrive maintenaut a Anvers. Dans l’attente de vos pro- 
chaines nouvelles, je vous prie, Messieurs, de me croire, 

Votre tout devoue, W. E. G. 

Pernambuco, 7. Juni 1911. 

Herrn J. J., London. 

Wir erlauben uns, Ihnen heirdurcli anzuzeigen, dass wir unter der Firma S. & 
R. und mit dem Beistande unsrer Freuiule, (der) Herren D. C. & Co. in London, 
ein Agenturgeschaft auf hiesigem Platze begriindet haben. Da unser Herr S. 
wall rend der letzten elf Jahre in verschiedenen Gegenden Stidamerikas gewohnt, 
und unser Herr R. den grossten Toil seines Lebens in Oporto, Lissabon und 
andern Stiulten Portugals zugebracht hat. so hegen wir die Uberzeugung, das 
Erfahrung und Platzkenntnis uns in den Stand setzen. in alien Fallen, in denen 
Sie unsrer Dienste bediirfen sollten. Ihnen vbllige Zufriedenheit zu gewiihren. 
Wir werden Vorkehrungen treffen, uns liber den Stand der Miirkte zu Bahia 
und Rio de Janeiro regelmassig unterrichtet zu halten. zu dem Zwecke, jeden 
Vorteil, den dieselben bieten mogen. wahrzunehmen. um Ladungen in Scliiffen, 
die Auftrag erhalten batten, hier fur Order anzulaufen, weiter zu dirigieren. 
Es wird in solchen Fallen unsre bestandige Sorge sein, das Interesse unsrer 
Freunde nach besten kraften zu fbrdern. Wir erlauben uns, Referenzen bei- 
zufiigen und Sie, wenn Sie uns mit Ilireu Auftragen beehren, unsres Eifers und 
unsrer Aufmerksamkeit zu versicliern. Indem wir Sie ersuchen, von unsrer 
Unterschrift Notiz zu nehmen, zeichuen \y ir ergebenst, 


S. & R. 


72 


IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


Make an idiomatic translation of tlie following into the language chosen by 
you above: 

Chicago, December 17, 1911. 

Mr. A. M., Florence, Italy. 

Sir : We are in receipt of your favor of the 14th inst., and regret very 
much our inability to reduce the prices that we quoted. We should be sorry 
if the price list furnished interfered in any way with our entering into business 
relations with your firm, with which we have long desired to cooperate. Your 
offers, however, are so much below prices current that we prefer to lose an 
order rather than to cut our profits below a paying basis. For two months 
past textiles have been looking up, and, in line with other manufacturers, we 
should rather raise than lower quotations. In fact, we have decided to revise 
our price list on January 1, and prices will be. on an average, 5 per cent higher. 
We would advise you, therefore, to avail yourself of present favorable con¬ 
ditions by sending us an order at the prices quoted you, and we trust that you 
may see your way clear to do this. Awaiting your reply, we are, 

Your obedient servants, B. & C. 

Optional. 

[N. B.—After completing the foregoing prescribed test a candidate may, if he 
so desires, make the following translations. An added credit will be given for 
the additional work performed. The language selected in the preceding test 
should also be selected in this test.] 

Make a close translation of one (and only one) of the following into idiomatic 
English: 

El mundo de las ilusiones, que es, como si dijeramos, un segundo mundo, se 
viene abajo con estrepito. El misticismo en religion, la rutina en la ciencia, el 
amaneramiento en las artes, caen como cayeron los dioses paganos: entre burlas. 
Adids, suenos torpes; el genero humano despierta, y sus ojos ven la claridad. 
El sentimentalismo vano, el misticismo, la fiebre. la alucinacion, el delirio, desa- 
parecen, y el que antes era enfermo. hoy estii sano, y se goza con placer indecible 
en la justa apreciacion de las cosas. La fantasia, la terrible loca, que era el 
ama de la casa, pasa a ser criada. Dirija usted la vista a todos lados, senior 
Penitenciario, y vera el admirable conjunto de relaidad que ha sustituido & 
la fabula. El cielo no es una boveda, las estrellas no son farolillos, la luna no 
es una cazadora traviesa, sino un pedrusco opaco; el sol no es un cochero em- 
perejilado y vagabundo, sino un incendio fijo. Las sirtes no son ninfas, sino 
dos escollos; las sirenas son focas; y en el orden de las personas, Mercurio es 
Manzanedo; Marte es un viejo barbilampino, el conde de Molke; Nestor puede 
ser un senor de gaban que se llama monsieur Thiers; Orfeo es Verdi; Vulcano 
es Krupp; Apollo es cualquier poeta. Quiere usted mas? Pues Jupiter, un 
Dios digno de ir ft presidio si viviera aun, no descarga el rayo, sino que el 
rayo cae euando a la electricidad le da la gana. No hay Parnaso, no hay 
Olimpo, no hay lagun Estigia, ni otros Campos Eliseos que los de Paris. No 
hay ya mas bajada al Infierno que las de la geologia, y este viajero, siempre 
que vuelve, dice que no hay condenados en el centro de la tierra. No hay 
mas subidas al cielo que las de la astronomia, y esta, a su regreso, asegura no 
haber visto los seis 6 siete pisos de que hablan el Dante y los inisticos y sona- 
dores de la Edad Media. 

Mais c’est un examen de conscience que vous me demandez, cher ami. Et 
cependant, je n’hesite pas une seconde ft vous repondre. 

Oui, je suis fiere, heureuse, et cola a plein coeur, de la fagon dont je vais etre 
fetfte. Vous me demandez, ami, si je crois en toute conscience que je merite cet 
honneur. Si je dis oui, vous me croirez bien orgueilleuse; si je dis non, vous 
me jugerez bien coupable. 

II me plait davantage vous dire les “ pourquoi ” de ce “ parce que.” Voilft 
vingt-neuf ans que je livre au public les vibrations de mon tune, les battements 
de mon coeur, les larmes de mes yeux. J’ai interprets cent douze roles, j’ai 
cree trente-huit personnifications, dont seize sont oeuvres de poetes. J’ai lutte 
comme pas un Stre humain n’a lutte. De nature independante, execrant le 
mensonge, je me suis cree des ennemis acharnes. Ceux que j’ai daigne com- 
battre, je les ai vaincus et pardonnes. Ils sont devenus mes amis. La bone 
que me jetaieut les a litres tombait en poussiere sechee par le soleil brulant de 
ma foi et de ma volonte. 

J’ai voulu, j’ai voulu ardemment arriver au summum de l’art; je n’y suis pas 
encore; il me reste bien moins a vivre que je n’ai vecu; mais qu’importe! 


IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


73 


Chaque pas me rapproche de mon reve! Les heures qui out pris leur vol 
emportant ma jeunesse m’ont laisse ma vaillance et ma gaiete; ear mon but 
est le memo et c’est vers Ini que je vais. 

J’ai traverse les Oceans emportant mon reve d’art en moi, et le genie de ma 
nation a triomphS! J’ai planle le verbe frangais au cceur de la literature 
4trangere, et c'est ce dont je suis le plus fiere. Grace a la propangande de mon 
art. la langue francaise est aujourd’hui langue courante de la jeune generation. 

Sarah Bernhardt. 

Mein Vater war ein streng recbtlicber Ehrenmann. Aus bitterer Armuth 
hatte er sich durch eigene Anstrengung zum Wohlstande erboben. Rastlos 
thatig, dachte er nur darauf, seine Handlung zu behaupten, zu erweitern, vielen 
bundert Fabrikanten Erwerb zu verschaffen, und uns, seinen Ivindern, ein un- 
abhangiges Leben zu sicbern. Er arbeitete taglicb zebn, oft wobl auch elf 
Stunden, nur seine Bnue zogen ihn bisweilen auf einzelne Stunden ab, sonst 
nicbts in der Welt. Er war zum Kaufmann geboren, aber in einem bessern 
Sinn: kleinlicbe Nebenvortbeile verscbmiibte er, und icb glaube, es ware ibm 
unmbglich gewesen Detailbiindler zu sein. Nie benutzte er die bilufige Gele- 
genbeit, durcb Concursvermittlung reicber zu werden; er wandelte stets auf 
gerader Balm, und konnte zurnen, wenn seine Diener auf den Messen in seiner 
Abwesenbeit die Kiiufer iibertheuerten.—Einfacb, wie die Grundsiitze seines 
Lebens, war sein Aeusseres. Die Mobilien blieben fast unverandert: das 
ererbte Silberzeug bebielt seine Form: nur auf feines Tucb bielt er und auf 
guten Rlieinwein. Frugal war sein Tiscli: die boben Festtage abgerchnet, 
stets nur ein Gericbt; Abends oft nur Kartoffeln Oder Rettig. Wein nur 
Sonntags, ausser im Sommer Abends auf dem Garten. Tractamente etwa jilhr- 
licb eins, dann liess sich aber Vater Haupt nicht scbimpfen. Cbampagner 
konnte er nicht leiden, dieser kam sebr selten. Dagegen alter Rbeinwein, 
Ungar und Biscbof von Burgunder. Sonntaglicbe Spaziergiinge ins Feld, dann 
und wann eine Spazierfabrt unterbracben die sich immer gleiche Lebensweise. 
Uebrigens war er gastfrei; sebr oft kamen auswartige Handelsfreunde, und 
die Lieblingsfactors nahm er von der Schreibstube nicht selten zum Mittags- 
mabl mit. 

Make an idiomatic translation of the following into the language chosen by 
you above: 

The action of the scientific bodies which recently met in Washington looking 
to the appointment of an international commission to investigate the high cost 
of living throughout the world is worthy of commendation. 

It is not likely, however, that any such commission will discover a definite 
remedy for the high prices that are prevailing throughout the world. Were the 
conditions due to any one cause, a remedy might be suggested. So many causes 
have influenced the high prices that the commission might have to be given 
powers over life and death and human character to bring about any appreciable 
change. 

The world and its people have been moving forward. The desire for luxuries 
and good service has increased. The world has been specializing, and more 
money is in circulation. The man who was satisfied with $12 a week 10 years 
ago, and who could lay aside a few dollars for a rainy day, now receives $25 
and is unable to lay aside a penny. It is not so much that the purchasing power 
of money has decreased as it is that the desires of man have increased. 

Fifth subject, natural , industrial, and commercial resources and commerce 

of the United States. 

Persons examined for consular assistant and student interpreter will answer 
the first and two (and only two) of the remaining questions: 

1. Discuss, in not less ihan 300 nor more than 500 words, one (and only one) 
of the following industries of the United States: Petroleum; bituminous coal: 
leather goods, including boots and shoes—with reference, particularly, to vol¬ 
ume. exportation, and centers of production and of exportation. 

2. Name four States leading in value of manufactures and give two of their 
principal articles of manufacture. 

3. Name the principal articles of commerce between the United States and 
Chile; Russia; South Africa; Cuba; Japan. Distinguish exports from imports. 

4. What three products of the Pacific coast, in your opinion, will be benefited 
by the opening of the Panama Canal, and why? 


74 


IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


Sixth subject, 'political economy. 

Persons examined for consular assistant and sudent interpreter will answer 
four (and only four) of the following questions: 

1. State the three main factors of production and briefly discuss their rela¬ 
tion to each other. 

2. Discuss international trade in regard to (a) its origin and (b) its in¬ 
fluence upon international policies. 

3. (a) State three economic benefits of large-scale production, (b) What 
factor ultimately fixes monopoly prices? 

4. (a) Give four reasons why the precious metals best serve as a medium 
of exchange, (b) In what sense may fiat money be considered a creation of 
wealth? 

5. Write not less than 200 words on either of the following subjects: (a) The 
economic value of universal international arbitration, (b) The economic ad¬ 
vantages of labor unions to the laborer. 

Seventh subject, American history, government, and institutions. 

Persons examined for consular assistant and student interpreter will answer 
four (and only four) of the following questions: 

1. (a) Describe Wolfe’s campaign against Quebec and state the results, (b) 
What was the ordinance of 1787? To what territory did it apply? 

2. (a) Describe the events which led up to the War of 1812. (b) Explain 

the following historical terms: (1) Monroe Doctrine, (2) Dorr’s Rebellion, 
(3) the Omnibus bill, (4) Mugwumps. 

3. Write a brief account (of not more than 300 words) of the territorial 
growth of the United States since the adoption of the Constitution. 

4. (a) Describe one method of amending the Constitution of the United 
States, (b) In what cases shall the Supreme Court of the United States have 
original jurisdiction? 

5. (a) Mention two important functions usually exercised by the governor 
of a State, (b) Mention three powers that are expressly denied to the several 
States by the Federal Constitution. 

Eighth subject, modern history ( since 1850) of Europe, South America, and 

the Far East. 

Persons examined for consular assistant and s'.udent interpreter will answer 
three (and only three) of the following questions: 

1. (a) Compare the first decade of Napoleon Ill’s reign with the second. 
(b) What war was terminated by llie Treaty of Prague? Mention two im¬ 
portant provisions of this treaty. 

2. (a) Discuss the Boxer War as to its causes and results, (b) What ef¬ 
fect has the English occupation of Egypt had upon that country? 

3. (a) In what war did each of the following battles or sieges occur and 
which nation or nations were victorious: (1) Balaklava, (2) Sedan, (3) Sea 
of Japan? (b) What two Provinces were recently annexed by Austria-Hun¬ 
gary? 

4. (a) Explain the following historical terms: (1) Boers, (2) Young Turks, 
(3) Home Rule, (4) Taiping Rebellion, (b) Give a brief account of the at¬ 
tempt of Maximilian to establish a monarchy in Mexico. 

ACT TO PROVIDE FOR THE REORGANIZATION OF THE CONSULAR SERVICE OF THE 

UNITED STATES, APPROVED APRIL 5, 1000, AS AMENDED BY THE ACT APPROVED 

MAY 11, 190S. 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United 
States of America in Congress assembled, That the consular system of the 
United States be reorganized in the manner hereinafter provided in this act. 

Sec. 2. That the consuls general and the consuls of the United States shall 
hereafter be classified and graded as hereinafter specified, with the salaries of 
each class herein affixed there:o. 1 


1 Classification of consuls general ,and consuls as amended by “An act to amend an 
act entitled ‘An act to provide for the reorganization of the "consular service of the 
United States,’ approved April fifth, nineteen hundred and six,” approved May 11, 1908 



IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


75 


CONSULS GENERAL. 

Class one, twelve thousand dollars.—London, Paris. 

Class two, eight thousand dollars.—Berlin, Habana, Hongkong, Hamburg, 
Rio de Janeiro, Shanghai. 

Class three, six thousand dollars.—Calcutta, Cape Town, Constantinople, 
Mexico City, Montreal, Ottawa, Vienna, Yokohama. 

Class four, five thousand five hundred dollars.—Antwerp, Barcelona, Brussels, 
Canton, Frankfort, Marseille, Moscow, Panama, Rotterdam, Seoul, Sydney 
(Australia), Tientsin. 

Class five, four thousand five hundred dollars.—Auckland, Beirut, Boma, 
Buenos Aires, Callao, Coburg, Dresden, Genoa, Guayaquil, Halifax, Hankau, 
Mukden, Munich, Singapore, Vancouver, Winnipeg, Zurich. 

Class six, three thousand five hundred dollars.—Adis Ababa, Bogota, Buda¬ 
pest, Guatemala, Lisbon, Monterey, San Salvador, 1 Smyrna, Stockholm, Tangier. 

Class seven, three thousand dollars.—Athens, Christiania, Copenhagen. 


CONSULS. 


Class one, eight thousand dollars.—Liverpool. 

Class two, six thousand dollars.—Manchester. 

Class three, five thousand dollars.—Amsterdam, Bremen, Dawson, Belfast, 
Havre, Johannesburg, Kobe, Lourengo Marquez, Lyon. 

Class four, four thousand five hundred dollars.—Amoy, Birmingham, Chefoo, 
Cienfuegos, Fuchau, Glasgow, Kingston (Jamaica), Newchwang, Nottingham, 
Saint Gall, Santiago, Southampton, Vera Cruz, Valparaiso. 

Class five, four thousand dollars.—Bahia, Bombay, Bordeaux, Colon, Dublin, 
Dundee, Harbin, Leipzig, Milan, Nanking, Naples, Nuremberg, Para, Pernam¬ 
buco, Plauen, Reiclienberg, Santos, Stuttgart, Toronto Tsingtau, Victoria, 
Warsaw. 

Class six, three thousand five hundred dollars.—Alexandria, Apia, Barmen, 
Barrenquilla, Basel, Berne, Bluefields, Bradford, Chemnitz, Chungking, Cologne, 
Dalny, Durban, Edinburgh, Fiume, Geneva, Georgetown, Guadelajara, Mann¬ 
heim, Montevideo, Nagasaki, Odessa, Palermo, Port Elizabeth, Prague, Quebec, 
Rangoon, Rheims, Rimouski, Rome, Saint Petersburg, Saloniki, Sherbrooke, 
Vladivostok. 

Class seven, three thousand dollars.—Aix la Chapelle, Aleppo, Barbados, Ba¬ 
tavia, Belgrade, Burslem, Calais, Calgary, Carlsbad, Catania, 2 Colombo, Corinto, 
Dunfermline, Florence, Frontera, Ghent, Hamilton (Ontario), Hanover, Ilarput, 
Huddersfield, Iquitos, Iquique, Jerusalem. Karachi, Kehl, La Guaira, Leghorn. 
Liege, Madras, Malaga, Managua, Melbourne, Nantes, Nassau, Newcastle (New 
South Wales), Newcastle (England), Port Antonio, Punt Arenas. Port an Prince, 
Riga, Sandakau, Progreso, Seville, Saint John (New Brunswick), Saint Mich¬ 
aels, Saint Thomas (West Indies), San Jose, Sheffield, Swansea, Sydney (Nova 
Scotia), Tabriz, Tampico, Tamsui, Trieste, Trinidad. 

Class eight, two thousand five hundred dollars.—Acapulco, Aden, Algiers. 
Antung, Batum, Belize, Bergen, Breslau, Brunswick, Cardiff, Chihuahua, Ciudad 
Juarez, Ciudad Porfiro Diaz, Cognac,. Cork, Curasao, Erfurt, Gibraltar, Gothen¬ 
burg, Hamilton (Bermuda), Hull, Jerez de la Frontera, Kingston (Ontario). 
Leeds, Limoges, Madrid, Magdeburg, Malta, Maracaibo, Martinique, Matamoros, 
Mazatlan, Mersine, Nice, Nogales, Nuevo Laredo. Orillia, Owen Sound, Plymouth, 
Port Limon, Prescott, Puerto Cortez, Rosario, Roubaix, Saint Johns (Newfound¬ 
land), Saint Etienne, San Luis Potosi, Sarnia, Sault Saiute Marie, Stettin, 
Swatow, Tamatave, Tegucigalpa, Teneriffe, Trebizond, Tripoli, Valencia, Windsor 
(Ontario), Yarmouth, Zanzibar. 

Class nine, two thousand dollars.—Aguascalientes, Asuncion, Bagdad, Bristol, 
Campbell ton, Cape Gracias, Cape Hatien, Cartagena, Ceiba, Charlottetown, Corn- 



Saint Pierre, Saint Stephen, Salina Cruz, Saltillo, Sierra Leone, Sivas, Stavan¬ 
ger, Suva, Tahiti, Tapachula, Turin, Turks Island, Venice. 



approved 
the com¬ 


ity the act approved Feb. 3, 1909, the consulate at Messina was transferred to Catania. 





76 


IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


Sec. 3. That the offices of vice consuls general, deputy consuls general, vice 
consuls, and deputy consuls shall be filled by appointment, as heretofore, except 
that whenever, in his judgment, the good of the service requires it, consuls 
may be designated by the President without thereby changing their classifica¬ 
tion to act for a period not to exceed one year as vice consuls general, deputy 
consuls general, vice consuls, and deputy consuls; and when so acting they shall 
not be deemed to have vacated their offices as consuls. Consular agents may 
be appointed, when necessary, as heretofore. The grade of commercial agent 
is abolished. 

Sec. 4. That there shall be five inspectors of consulates, to be designated and 
commissioned as consuls general at large, who shall receive an annual salary 
of five thousand dollars each, and shall be paid their actual and necessary trav¬ 
eling and subsistence expenses while traveling and inspecting under instructions 
from the Secretary of State. They shall be appointed by the President, with 
the advice and consent of the Senate, from the members of the consular force 
possessing the requisite qualifications of experience and ability. They shall 
make such inspections of consular offices as the Secretary of State shall direct, 
and shall report to him. Each consular office shall be inspected at least once 
in every two years. Whenever the President has reason to believe that the 
business of a consulate or a consulate general is not being properly conducted 
and that it is necessary for the public interest, he may authorize any consul 
general at large to suspend the consul or consul general, and administer the 
office in his stead for a period not exceeding ninety days. In such case the con¬ 
sul general at large so authorized shall have power to suspend any vice or 
deputy consular officer or clerk in said office during the period aforesaid. The 
provisions of law relating to the official bonds of consuls general, and the pro¬ 
visions of sections seventeen hundred and thirty-four, seventeen hundred and 
thirty-five and seventeen hundred and thirty-six, Revised Statutes of the United 
States, shall apply to consuls general at large. 

Sec. 5. No person who is not an American citizen shall be appointed here¬ 
after in any consulate general or consulate to any clerical position the salary 
of which is one thousand dollars a year or more. 

Sec. 0 . Sections sixteen hundred and ninety-nine and seventeen hundred of 
the Revised Statutes of the United States are hereby amended to read as 
follows: 

“ Sec. 1699. No consul general, consul, or consular agent receiving a salary 
of more than one thousand dollars a year shall, while he holds his office, be 
interested in or transact any business as a merchant, factor, broker, or other 
trader, or as a clerk or other agent for any such person to, from, or within the 
port, place, or limits of his jurisdiction, directly or indirectly, either in his own 
name or in the name or through the agency of any other person; nor shall he 
practice as a lawyer for compensation or be interested in the fees or compensa¬ 
tion of any lawyer; and he shall in his official bond stipulate as a condition 
thereof not to violate this prohibition. 

“ Sec. 1700. All consular officers whose respective salaries exceed one thou¬ 
sand dollars a year shall be subject to the prohibition against transacting busi¬ 
ness, practicing as a lawyer, or being interested in the fees or compensation of 
any lawyer contained in the preceding section. And the President may extend 
the prhibition to any consul general, consul, or consular agent whose salary 
does not exceed one thousand dollars a year or who may be compensated by 
fees ,and to any vice or deputy consular officer or consular agent, and may 
require such officer to give a bond not to violate the prohibition.” 

Sec. 7. That every consular officer of the United States is hereby required, 
whenever application is made to him therefor, within the limits of this con¬ 
sulate, to administer to or take from any person any oath, affirmation, affidavit, 
or deposition, and to perform any other notarial act which any notary public 
is required oi* authorized by law to do within the United States'; and for every 
such notarial act performed he shall charge in each instance the appropriate 
fee prescribed by the President under section seventeen hundred and fortv-five 
Revised Statutes. 

Sec. S. That all fees, official or unofficial, received by any officer in the Con¬ 
sular Service for services rendered in connection with the duties of his office 
or as a consular officer, including fees for notarial services, and fees for taking 
depositions, executing commissions or letters rogatory, settling estates, receiving 
or paying out moneys, caring for or disposing of property, shall be accounted 
for and paid into the Treasury of the United States, and the sole and only com¬ 
pensation of such officers shall be by salaries fixed by law; but this shall not 


IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


77 


apply to consular agents, who shall be paid by one half of the fees received in 
tbeir offices, up to a maximum sum of one thousand dollars in any one year, 
the other half being accounted for and paid into the Treasury of the United 
States. And vice consuls general, deputy consuls general, vice consuls, and 
deputy consuls, in addition to such compensation as they may be entitled to 
receive as consuls or clerks, may receive such portion of the salaries of the con¬ 
sul general or consuls for whom they act as shall be provided by regulation. 

Sec. 9. That fees for the consular certification of invoices shall he, and they 
hereby are, included with the fees for official services for which the President 
is authorized by section seventeen hundred and forty-five of the Revised Stat¬ 
utes to prescribe rates or tariffs; and sections twenty-eight hundred and fifty- 
one and seventeen hundred and twenty-one of the Revised Statutes are hereby 
repealed. 

Sec. 10. That every consular officer shall be provided and kept supplied with 
adhesive official stamps, on which shall be printed the equivalent money value 
of denominations and to amounts to be determined by the Department of State, 
and shall account quarterly to the Department of State for the use of such 
stamps and for such o/ them as shall remain in his hands. 

Whenever a consular officer is required or finds it necessary to perform any 
consular or notarial act he shall prepare and deliver to the party or parties at 
whose instance such act is performed a suitable and appropriate document as 
prescribed in the consular regulations and affix thereto and duly cancel an ad¬ 
hesive stamp or stamps of the denomination or denominations equivalent to the 
fee prescribed for such consular or notarial act, and no such act shall be 
legally valid within the jurisdiction of the Government of the United States 
unless such stamp or stamps is or are affixed and canceled. 

Sec. 11. That this act shali take effect on the thirtieth day of June, nineteen 
hundred and six. 

Sec. 12. That all acts or parts of acts inconsistent with this act are hereby 
repealed. 

Approved, April 5, 1906. 


Information Regarding Appointments and Promotions in the Diplomatic 

Service of the United States. 

REGULATIONS GOVERNING APPOINTMENTS AND PROMOTIONS IN THE DIPLOMATIC 
SERVICE AND FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF THE PERSONNEL OF THE DEPARTMENT OF 
STATE. 

Whereas the Congress, by section 1753 of the Revised Statutes of the United 
States, has provided as follows: 

“ The President is authorized to prescribe such regulations for the admis¬ 
sion of persons into the civil service of the United States as may best pro¬ 
mote the efficiency thereof, and ascertain the fitness of each candidate in re¬ 
spect to age, health, character, knowledge, and ability for the branch of 
service into which he seeks to enter; and for this purpose he may employ 
suitable persons to conduct such inquiries, and may prescribe their duties, 
and establish regulations for the conduct of persons who may\,receive ap¬ 
pointments in the civil service.” 

And whereas it is deemed best for the public interest to extend to the Diplo¬ 
matic Service the aforesaid provision of the Revised Statutes and the general 
principles embodied in the civil-service act of January 16, 1883: 

(1) The Secretary of State is hereby directed to report from time to time to 
the President, along with his recommendations, the names of those secretaries 
of the higher grades in the Diplomatic Service who by reason of efficient service 
have demonstrated special capacity for promotion to be chiefs of mission. 

(2) There shall be kept a careful efficiency record of every officer of the 
Diplomatic Service, in order that there may he no promotion except upon 
well-established efficiency as shown in the service, and that retention in the 
service may be conditioned upon the officers’ maintaining a degree of efficiency 
well up to the average high standard w r hich the interests of the service demand. 

(3) Initial appointments from outside the service to secretaryships in the 
Diplomatic Service shall be only to the classes of third secretary of embassy, 
or, in case of higher existent vacancies, of second secretary of legation, or of 
secretary of legation at such post as has assigned to it but one secretary. 



78 


IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


Vacancies in secretaryships of higher classes shall be filled by promotion from 
the lower grades of the service, based upon efficiency and ability as shown in 
the service. 

(4) To make it more practicable to extend to the appointment, promotion, 
transfer, or retention of secretaries in the Diplomatic Service the civil-service 
principle of promotion on the basis of efficiency as shown in the service, and 
in order that the action of the department may be understood by the officers 
concerned, all secretaryships in the Diplomatic Service shall be graded accord¬ 
ing to the importance, volume, difficulty, or other aspects of the work done 
by each mission in proportion to the number of men allotted to it, and this 
classification shall be made known to the members of the service. 

(5) A person separated from a secretaryship in the Diplomatic Service 
without delinquency or misconduct at his own request in writing may, 
within a period of one year from the date of such separation, be rein¬ 
stated in the grade from which he was separated, provided he shall have been 
originally appointed after the prescribed examination for that grade. In the 
event, however, that such separation shall be for the purpose of undertaking 
other work under the Department of State, the limitation of one year for 
eligibility for reinstatement shall not hold. This rule-shall be applicable as 
regards reinstatements to the Consular Service and also to the Department of 
State when transfers shall have been to another branch of the foreign service. 

(6) The Assistant Secretary of State, the Solicitor for the Department of 
State, the Chief of the Diplomatic Bureau, and the Chief of the Bureau of Ap¬ 
pointments, and the Chief Examiner of the Civil Service Commission or some 
person whom the commission shall designate, or such persons as may be desig¬ 
nated to serve in their stead, are hereby constituted a board whose duty it shall 
be to determine the qualifications of persons designated by the President for 
examination to determine their fitness for possible appointment as secretaries 
of embassy or legation. 

(7) The examination herein provided for shall be held in Washington at 
such times as the needs of the service require. Candidates will be given reason¬ 
able notice to attend, and no person shall be designated to take the examination 
within 30 days of the time set therefor. 

(8) The examinations shall be both oral and in writing, and shall include 
the following subjects: International law, diplomatic usage, and a knowledge 
of at least one modern language other than English, to wit, French, Spanish, 
or German; also the natural, industrial, and commercial resources and the 
commerce of the United States, especially with reference to the possibilities 
of increasing and extending the trade of the United States with foreign 
countries; American history, government, and institutions; and the modern 
history since 1850 of Europe, Latin America, and the Far East. The object of 
the oral examination shall also be to determine the candidate’s alertness, 
general contemporary information, and natural fitness for the service, includ¬ 
ing mental, moral, and physical qualifications, character, address, and general 
education and good command of English. In this part of the examination the 
applications previously filed will be given due weight by the board of examiners. 
In the determination of the final rating the written and oral ratings shall be 
of equal weight. A physical examination shall also be included as supple¬ 
mental. 

(9) Examination papers shall be rated on a scale of 100, and no person with 
a general rating of less than 80 shall be certified as eligible. 

No person shall be certified as eligible who is under 21 or over 50 years of 
age, or who is not a citizen of the United States, or who is not of good char¬ 
acter and habits and physically, mentally, and temperamentally qualified for 
the proper performance of diplomatic work, or who has not been specially 
designated by the President for appointment to the diplomatic service, subject 
to examination and subject to the occurrence of an appropriate vacancy. 

(10) Upon the conclusion of the examinations, the names of the candidates 
who shall have attained upon the whole examination the required mark will 
be certified by the board to the Secretary of State as eligible for appointment. 

(11) The names of candidates will remain on the eligible list for two years, 
except in the case of such candidates as shall within that period be appointed 
or shall withdraw their names. Names which have been on the eligible list 
for two years will be dropped therefrom, and the candidates concerned will 
not again be eligible for appointment unless upon fresh application, designation 
anew for examination, and the successful passing of such second examination. 

(12) Applicants for appointment who are designated to take an examination 


IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


79 


and who fail to report therefor shall not be entitled to take a subsequent ex¬ 
amination, unless they shall have been specifically designated to take such sub¬ 
sequent examination. 

In designations for appointment subject to examination and in appointments 
after examination, due regard will be had to the rule, that as between candi¬ 
dates of equal merit, appointments should be made so as to tend to secure 
proportional representation of all the States and Territories in the diplomatic 
service; and neither in the designation for examination or .certification or ap¬ 
pointment after examination will the political affiliations of the candidates be 
considered. 

(13) The board of examiners is authorized to issue such notices and to 
make all such rules as it may deem necessary to accomplish the object of this 
regulation. 

(14) Transfers from one branch of the foreign service to another shall not 
occur except upon designation by the President for examination and the suc¬ 
cessful passing of the examination prescribed for the service to which such 
transfer is made. Unless the exigencies of the service imperatively demand it, 
such person to be transferred shall not have preference in designation for the 
taking of the examination or in appointment from the eligible list, but shall 
follow the course of procedure prescribed for all applicants for appointment 
to the service which he desires to enter. To persons employed in the Depart¬ 
ment of State at salaries of $1,800 or more, the preceding rule shall not apply, 
and they may be appointed, on the basis of ability and efficiency, to any grade 
of the diplomatic service. 

(15) The Secretary of State may, as provided by Rule III of the present 
Civil Service Rules, request the Civil Service Commission to hold special ex¬ 
aminations for the position of clerk of class 2 or above in the Department of 
State, such examination to follow generally and so far as the Secretary of 
State shall deem practicable, the lines of the present foreign-service examina¬ 
tions. 

(16) In the case of promotions in the Department of State to the grades of 
clerk of class 2 or above, the Secretary of State may require the passing of 
an examination in the general nature of the present Diplomatic or Consular 
Service examinations. 

(17) With further reference to the matter of promotions in the Department 
of State, the Secretary of State is directed to cause to be kept, as a guide in 
determining the promotion or retention of the personnel, a careful record of 
the efficiency of each clerk in the department. 

Wm. H. Taft. 

The White House, November 26, 1909. 


EXECUTIVE ORDER. 

No officer or employee of the Government shall, directly or indirectly, instruct 
or be concerned in any manner in the instruction of any person or classes of 
persons, with a view "to their special preparation for the examination of the 
boards of examiners for the Diplomatic and Consular Service. 

The fact that any officer or employee is found so engaged shall be considered 
sufficient cause for his removal from the service. 

Wm. H. Taft. 

The White House, December 23, 1910. 


INFORMATION FOR APPLICANTS. 

Diplomatic Service examinations are not held at regularly stated periods, but 
only at such times as it is deemed expedient to replenish the list of those eligi¬ 
ble for such appointment. The dates of the holding of examinations are pub¬ 
licly announced through the press. 

Although designations for examination are made by the President applica¬ 
tions for appointment should be addressed to the Secretary of State. 

An application is considered as pending for a period of two years. After such 
period has elapsed without its being acted upon, another application with 
indorsements will be necessary to obtain for it further consideration. 




80 


IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


Applicants for appointment in their correspondence with the department 
should always sign their names as given in their applications, without enlarge¬ 
ment or contraction. 

A candidate is not designated for examination with a view to his appointment 
to a particular post, but in order to determine his eligibility for appointment to 
such a post as in the judgment of the department his services would best serve 
the public interest. 

No special training is accepted in lieu of the prescribed examination. 

The department is not able definitely to forecast when vacancies in the service 
may occur. 

Blank forms of application for appointment may be had upon application to 
the Department of State. 

For information concerning the appointment of clerks in diplomatic missions 
see page 8. , 


POSTS IN THE AMERICAN DIPLOMATIC SERVICE. 

Congressional provision is made for the appointment of the following diplo¬ 
matic officers: 

Ambassadors extraordinary and plenipotentiary to Austria-Hungary, Brazil, 
France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, and Turkey, at 
$17,500 each. 

Envoys extraordinary and ministers plenipotentiary to the Argentine Repub¬ 
lic, Belgium, Chile, China, Cuba, the Netherlands and Luxemburg, and Spain, 
at $12,000 each. 

Envoys extraordinary and ministers plenipotentiary to Colombia, Costa Rica, 
Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Salvador, and Venezuela, at 
$10,000 each. 

Envoys extraordinary and ministers plenipotentiary to Denmark, Morocco, 
Norway, Paraguay and Uruguay, Portugal, Roumania, and Servia, and diplo¬ 
matic agent in Bulgaria, Sweden, and Switzerland, at $10,000 each. 

Envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary to Greece and Montenegro, 
$ 10 , 000 .' 

Envoys extraordinary and ministers plenipotentiary to Bolivia, Ecuador, 
Haiti, Persia, and Siam, at $10,000 each. 

Minister resident and consul general to the Dominican Republic, $10,000. 

Minister resident and consul general to Liberia, $5,000. 

Agent and consul general at Cairo, $6,500. 

Secretaries of embassy to Austria-Hungary, Brazil, Great Britain, France, 
Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, and Turkey, at $3,000 each. 

Secretaries of legation to the Argentine Republic, Belgium, Chile, China, 
Cuba, the Netherlands and Luxemburg, and Spain, at $2,625 each. 

Secretaries of legation to Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Denmark, the Do¬ 
minican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Liberia, Morocco, Nicaragua, 
Norway. Panama, Peru. Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, and Venezuela, at $2,000 
each. 

Secretary of legation to Salvador and consul general to San Salvador, $2,000. 

Secretary of legation to Siam and consul general at Bangkok, $2,000. 

Secretary of legation to Greece and Montenegro, $2,000. 

Secretary of legation to Paraguay and Uruguay, $2,000. 

Secretary of legation and consul general to Roumania and Servia, who shall 
also be secretary of the diplomatic agency in Bulgaria, $2,000. 

Secretary of legation to Persia, who shall be an American student of the lan¬ 
guage of that country, $2,000. 

Second secretaries of embassy to Austria-Hungary, Brazil, Great Britain, 
France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, and Russia, at $2,000 each. 

Second secretary of embassy to Japan, $2,000. 

Second secretary of legation to China, $1,800. 

Second secretary of embassy to Turkey, who shall be an American student 
of the language of that court and country, $2,000. 

Second secretary of legation to Cuba, $1,800. 

Third secretaries of embassy to Great Britain, France, Mexico, Germany, and 
Russia, at $1,200 each. 

Third secretary of embassy to Japan, who shall be an American student of 
the Japanese language, $1,200. 

Third secretary of embassy to Turkey, who shall be an American student of 
the Turkish language, $1,200. 



IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


81 


GENERAI. INFORMATION REGARDING SECRETARIES IN THE DIPLOMATIC SERVICE. 

Secretaries of embassy or legation are intrusted with the duty of transcribing 
the official communications of the head of the mission and of recording the 
same in books to be carefully preserved with the archives of the office, and are 
expected to perform such other duties of an official character as may be required 
of them by their chief of mission. The classification and indexing of the origi¬ 
nals of all dispatches, notes, and official communications, the custody of the 
records, books, seal, and cipher of the embassy or legation are also under their 
control, subject to the general supervision and direction of the head of the 
mission. They are also authorized by statute to administer oaths, take depo¬ 
sitions, and generally to perform notarial acts. 

All diplomatic officers are allowed to draw on the Secretary of State at the 
rate of 5 cents per mile for the distance required to be traveled in direct transit 
to or from their posts, but not while traveling on leave of absence. They are 
also allowed compensation at the rate of their salary for the time spent in 
transit within a maximum period fixed for the post. 

When a secretary of legation acts as charge d’affaires ad interim he is al¬ 
lowed, in addition to his salary as secretary, the difference between such salary 
and 50 per cent of the salary of the chief of the mission. 

The statutory leave of absence granted to diplomatic officers annually is 60 
days, but it rests with the department to determine whether the leave may be 
granted. When leave of absence with permission to visit the United States is 
granted, the transit time, within a maximum period allowed, is not counted as 
part of the 60 days. 


INFORMATION REGARDING CLERICAL APPOINTMENTS IN THE DIPLOMATIC SERVICE. 


Clerks are employed at the various diplomatic missions and receive compen¬ 
sation varying, as a rule, from $1,000 to $1,800 a year. Their duties embrace 
bookkeeping, letter writing, recording correspondence, and routine chancery 
work. They are frequently appointed upon nomination of a chief of mission, but 
the Department of State exercises its right to make independent appointments 
whenever that course appears to be in the interest of the service. Under the 
law American citizens only may be appointed to clerkships in American diplo¬ 
matic missions. 

For such appointments no examination is required, but to become eligible for 
promotion to the grade of secretary of embassy or legation a clerk in a diplo¬ 
matic mission must successfully pass the prescribed entrance examination. 

Applications for clerical appointments should be filed with the Department of 
State. In view, however, of the fact that such appointments are frequently 
made upon the nomination of the principal officer under whom service is to be 
rendered, direct correspondence with the principal officer at the post in which 
the applicant particularly desires to serve is also advisable. 

A blank form of application for such an appointment may be had upon appli¬ 
cation to the Department of State. 

The following ques'ions are furnished as suggestive of the character of those 
comprised in the examination, for the taking of which two days of six hours 
each are allowed: 

SUBJECT-INTERNATIONAL LAW. 


1. (a) State the origin and nature of international law and indicate the chief 
factors in its modern development. 

(1)) What is the status of international law in American jurisprudence; i. e., 
is it regarded as a branch of municipal law or is it considered a foreign system? 

(c) State some of the leading writers in international law, enumerate some 
textbook on {lie subject, and state what books you would refer to if a question 
of international law arose with which you are unfamiliar. 

2 (a) Upon the execution of Louis XVT. the British Government refused to 
receive the French diplomatic agent, and sent him his passports. Was the ac¬ 
tion of the British Government correct? TT - 

(b) Napoleon III began suit in the Supreme Court of the United States. 
Unoii his dethronement and the establishment of the French Republic on Sep¬ 
tember 3. 1870. it was contended that the suit abated by reason of the deposition 

H. Rept. 840. 62-2-6 




82 


IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


of the Emperor Napoleon. What, in your opinion, should be the holding on 
this point? 

(c) Cotton owned by the Confederate States was shipped to their agents in 
Liverpool, who paid the expenses of transportation, took possession of the cot¬ 
ton, stored it in warehouses, and guarded it at considerable expense. Upon the 
fall of the Confederacy the United States tiled a bill, praying to have the cotton 
delivered to a duly constituted agent of the United S ates. The agents of the 
Confederacy seek to enforce a lien on the cotton for their expenses. How, in 
your opinion, should the court decide? 

3. (a) A local statu e forbids fishing within the 3-mile limit without a license 
and forbids, under penalty of confiscation of the vessel, all fishing on Sunday. 
The sloop Venturesome began fishing Sunday morning beyond the 3-mile limit, 
but after the nets had been laid and the fish surrounded, the Vent tiresome drifted 
within the 3-mile limit and was apprehended while taking the fish from the 
nets placed beyond the 3-mile limit, but which had drifted within the limit. 
Upon suit brought for confiscation of the vessel, what, in your opinion, would 
be the holding of the court? 

(&) Suppose the vessel had begun fishing wi bin the 3-mile limit, and noticing 
the approach of a revenue cutter put to sea. The cut er followed, captured the 
Venturesome upon the high seas, brought it to port, and began condemnation 
proceedings. What, in your opinion, should be the holding of the court? 

4. («) A diplomatic agent driving his automobile at a rate of speed forbidden 
by law runs over and seriously injures a passer-by. The chauffeur is notified 
by the police to go with him to the police station, bid refuses. The policeman 
thereupon arrests him, the diplomatic agent protesting that he must be driven at 
once to the State Department on important business for his Government. If con¬ 
sulted, what would you advise the diplomatic agent and the chauffeur as to 
their rights and duties in the premises? 

( I)) A diplomatic agent leases a house for the period of two years at an annual 
rental of $5,000, payable monthly. The agent pays rent for the first three 
months, but (hereafter neglects to pay the rent when due. At the expiration 
of a year the owner of the house seeks to evict the diplomat, and files an action 
to recover the rent due and damages for the breach of the lease. What, in 
your opinion, should be the result? Would it make any difference in your 
answer if instead of a diplomat the tenant was a consul general? 

5. (a) The late President Castro proceeded to La Guaira upon a French mer¬ 
chant ship. Upon his arrival in La Guaira the Venezuelan authorities came 
aboard and demanded Castro, but the captain refused to deliver him. The Vene¬ 
zuelan authorities thereupon withdrew, and the captain, fearing that force would 
be used, transferred Castro to a French man-of-war lying in the harbor. Upon 
demand made upon the man-of-war to surrender Castro and refusal, a land 
battery opened fire upon the man-of-war. Discuss and distinguish the two 
situations. 

(b) During the recent revolution in Constantinople one X. a member of the 
la f o Turkish Cabinet, applied to the American embassy for admission and was 
admitted. One Y, a member of the recent Government, indicted for the mis¬ 
appropriation of funds, secretly entered the American embassy. Z, an opponent 
of the revolution, pursued by a mob, seeks refuge in the American embassy. 
What should be the action of the American embassy in each of these cases? 

Would it make any difference, in your opinion, if the events described had 
taken place in Paris upon the overthrow of Napoleon III or in Brazil upon the 
expulsion of Dom Pedro? 

6. A Japanese army crosses the boundary between Korea and China at 1.30 
a. in., on May 15, 19—. News of the invasion of China by Japanese forces does 
not reach Manila until May 17, 19—. On May 16, without any knowledge of the 
state of affairs created by the invasion of China, X, Y & Z, an American firm, 
shipped on board an American steamer a cargo of arms and ammunition, destined 
to a Chinese port, in fulfillment of a contract previously entered into. The vessel 
is captured by a Japanese cruiser on the ground that war existed between China 
and Japan. X, Y & Z asked the good offices of the American embassy at Tokyo 
to secure the release of the cargo on the ground that there was no declaration 
of war and the American shippers did not and could not know at the date of the 
shipment of the hostile relation between Japan and China. What advice would 
you give to the representative of X, Y & Z? 

7. Discuss the effect of war upon trade; upon executory and executed con¬ 
tracts? 

8. (a) Define contraband, state its divisions, and the penalty for its carriage 
if captured. 


IMPROVEMENT OE THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


83 


(?>) Define blockade and note the conditions under which a declaration is 
valid as binding upon neutrals, 

d. State the requirements of a valid cap! ure of (a) enemy and (b) neutral 
property upon the high seas. State when title passes to captor in each case and 
the formalities requisite to give a perfect tide to captured property. 

10. (a) Enumerate some of the more important recent international confer¬ 
ences, and state some of their most important results. 

(?>) Explain the distinction between “good offices,” “mediation,” and “arbi¬ 
tration.' Cite some American instances of arbitration, and explain the attitude 
of the United States toward arbitration. 

(c) Give the general arbitration clause and explain why “ independence, vital 
interests, and honor” are excluded from the obligation of arbitration provided 
for by recent treaties. 


SUBJECT-DIPLOMATIC USAGE. 

1. What official relations, if any, does a secretary of legation have with the 
Government of the country in which he resides? 

2. Give your understanding of the difference between a charge d’affaires, a 
charge d'affaires ad interim, and a charge des affaires. 

3. A secretary of legation being in charge of the legation at the time of the 
arrival of a new minister, what part would the secretary of legation be called 
upon to take in the preliminaries preceding the minister’s official reception? 

4. The immunity from the criminal and civil jurisdiction of the country of his 
sojourn, which the diplomatic representative possesses, is also accorded to the 
secretary of the legation. On what .ground? 

5. What is the procedure in the case of an international convention to which 
a large number of Governments are signatory? 

SUBJECT—MODERN LANGUAGES. 

Make a close translation of one (and only one) of the following into idiomatic 
English : 

Ambassade de la Republique 

Francaise aux Etats-Unis, 

Washington, le 15 Mai, 1902. 

Monsieur le President : 

J'ai regu de moil Gouvernement le telegramme suivant: 

“ Le President et le Gouvernement de la Republique frangaise profondement 
emus de la sympathie que le President, le Gouvernement, le Congres et la Nation 
des Etats-Unis temoignent aux victimes de la catastrophe de la Martinique, vous 
chargent d’etre aupres d’eux l’interprete de la reconnaissance qu’Oprouve la 
Nation frangaise toute entiere pour cette genereuse assistance dont le souvenir 
demeurera imperissable.” 

En vous apportant l’expression des remerciments de M. le President de la 
Republique et du Gouvernement frangais, je ne saurais vous dire assez, Mon¬ 
sieur le President, combien je suis sensible a I’honneur d’etre leur interprete 
aupres de vous. 

Les sentiments traditionnels d’amitie, qui unissent les Etats-Unis & la France, 
ne se sont jamais manifestos avec plus d'eclat, mais, en montrant qu’il existe 
entre les nations comme entre les particuliers, des liens d’lmmanite et de pitie 
vous avez doime au monde civilise un exemple qui restera dans la memoire des 
homines. 

Agreez, je voue prie, Monsieur le President, les assurances de ma haute et 
respectueuse consideration. 

Jules Cambon. 

Monsieur President des Etats-Unis d’Ameiuque. 

El Embajador de Francia 

Al Presidente del Consejo de Ministros, 

Ministro de Estado. 

Madrid, 16 de Febrero de 1900. 

Sr. Presidente : 

El Ministro de Negocios Extranjeros de la Reptiblica, a quien comunique la 
adhesion del Gobierno de S. M. a nuestra proposicion de reanudar en Paris las 
negociaciones relatives t la delimitacion de les territories discutidos entre nues- 
tros dos paises en el Golfo de Guinea, me encarga manifeste fi V. E. que esta 


84 


IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


disquesto por su parte a continual’ inmediatamente esta negociacion, poniendose 
de acuerdo, al efecto, con el Sr. Leon y Castillo. 

A su juicio, el Embajador de S. M. podna estar asistido, como el lo estarft, por 
uno 6 dos Delegados, a quienes incumbiria la preparacion de las soluciones sobre 
las cuales babrla luego que ponerse de acuerdo. Monsieur Delcasse esta dis- 
puesto a confiar este trabajo a un Agente de su Departamento. en union de un 
funcionario de la Administracion de las Colonias. V. E. apreciarft si le es 
posible confiar igual encargo a uno de los miembros de la Embajada espanola en 
Paris y a un Delegado tftcnico para que exista igualdad en la representacion de 
los dos palses. 

Por lo que respecta ft las negociaciones en si mismas, el Ministro de Negocios 
Extranjeros de la Republica estima coino V. E. que es preferible volver lo menos 
posible al examen de los titulos invocados por una y otra parte, ya que el estudio 
de que ban sido objeto y la facultad de referirse ft esta primera parte de los 
trabajos permiten reducir al minimum esta especie de informacion previa. 

Kaiserlich Deutsche Botschaft, 

Washington, den 5. Juni, 1902. 

Herr Staatssekretar : 

Emil Heiden-Heimer, Hopfenbandlung in Mainz, hatte an den in Monterey 
(Mexico) verstorbenen William Biscboff, Direktor der Cerveceria Cuauhtemoc 
daselbst, eine Darlelinsforderung von 300 Mark. 

Herr Heiden-Heimer bat sieh dieserlialb an den Kaiserlicben Vicekonsul in 
Monterey gewendet, welclier ibm unter dem 30. April d. J. mitgetbeilt bat. dass 
der Generalkonsul der Vereinigten Staaten in Monterey erklart babe, er konne 
nur die in Mexico kontrahirten Verbindlichkeiten des Verstorbenen decken, den 
danacb verbleibenden Best des Nachlasses werde er in den ersten Tagen des 
Mai d. J. an das Schatzamt der Vereinigten Staaten in Washington abfiiliren. 
Die gedaebte Schuldforderung sei desshalb durcli die Behorden der Vereinigten 
Staaten geltend zu machen. 

Auf den Antrag des Herrn Heiden-Heimer beelire icli micb Eurer Excellenz 
gefallige Vermittelung dafiir ergebenst in Ansprucb zu nelimen dass, die For- 
derung desselben von 300 Mark bei Regelung des Bischoff'schen Nachlasses 
beriicksichtigt werde. 

Indem icb einen beztiglicben Reclmungsauszug bier beifuge, benutze icb auch 
diesen Anlass, um Eurer Excellenz die Versicberung meiner ausgezeicbnetsten 
Hocbacbtung zu erneuern. 

Holleben. 

Make an idiomatic translation of the following into the language chosen by 
you above: 

Department of State. 

Washington, August 12, 1900. 

The Government of the United States learns with satisfaction of the appoint¬ 
ment of Earl Li Hung Chang as envoy plenipotentiary to conduct negotiations 
with the powers, and will, on its part, enter upon such negotiations with a desire 
to continue the friendly relations so long existing between the two countries. 

It is evident that there can be no general negotiation between China and the 
powers so long as the ministers of the powers and the persons under their pro¬ 
tection remain in their present position of restraint and danger, and that the 
powers can not cease their efforts for the delivery of these representatives, to 
which they are constrained by the highest considerations of national honor, 
except under an arrangement adequate to accomplish a peaceable deliverance. 

We are ready to enter into an agreement between the powers and the Chinese 
Government for a cessation of hostile demonstrations, on condition that a suffi¬ 
cient body of the forces composing the relief expedition shall be permitted to 
enter Peking unmolested and to escort the foreign ministers and residents back 
to Tientsin; this movement being provided for and secured by such arrange¬ 
ments and dispositions of troops as shall be considered satisfactory by the 
generals commanding the forces composing the relief expedition. 

SUBJECT—NATURAL, INDUSTRIAL. AND COMMERCIAL RESOURCES AND COMMERCE OF 

THE UNITED STATES. 

1. What causes have contributed to the growth of the iron and steel indus¬ 
tries in the United States? 

2. In 1855 the price per barrel of flour in New York was $12; at the close of 
the century it w r as less than $5. How was the decrease in price brought about? 


IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


85 


3. (a) What is the rank of the United States in agriculture, mining, manu¬ 
facturing, and merchant marine? (b) What is our rank in export trade? 

4. State some of the requirements for the development of a large foreign 
commerce, and what countries are our chief competitors for foreign trade? 

5. Name the States or cities as called for below which lead in the production 
or manufacture of the following: 

Wheat (two States)_ 

Rice (two States)__ 

Tobacco (two States)_ 

Meat products (two cities)_ 

Leather (one city)_ 

Glass (one city)_ 

Gold (two States)_ 

Silver (two States)_ 

Sheep (two States)_ 

Agricultural implements (one city)_ 

Boots and shoes (city)_ 

Cotton goods (State and city)_ 

SUBJECT—AMERICAN HISTORY, GOVERNMENT, AND INSTITUTIONS. 

1. How, when, and from whom was (a) the contiguous territory of the 
United States acquired; (b) the noncontiguous territory? 

2. (a) By what treaty was the War of 1832 with Great Britain terminated? 
(b) When was that treaty signed and when was it ratified? (c) What im¬ 
portant battle was fought after the treaty was signed, and by whom were 
the opposing forces in that battle commanded? 

3. How is the President of the United States chosen, and what are the con- 
stitutionnl requirements for eligibility to the office? 

4. Name the executive departments of the Federal Government, and state the 
principal functions of each. 

5. Where in the American Government is the treaty-making power vested? 

SUBJECT—MODERN HISTORY (SINCE 1850) OF EUROPE, SOUTH AMERICA. AND THE 

FAR EAST. 

1. Briefly describe the features which have been noticeable in the government 
and development of South American Republics. 

2. With what countries and events do you associate the following: Alexander 
II, Bismarck, Marquis Ito, Dom Pedro, Cecil Rhodes, Thiers, Garibaldi, Maxi¬ 
milian? 

3. Briefly describe the form of government of the German Empire. 

4. What causes led up to the Russo-Japanese War, and what were its 
results? 


THE AMERICAN CONSULAR SERVICE. 

[By Wm. J. Carr.] 

[From the American Journal of International Law for October, 1907.] 

The Consular Service of the United States has been for a long time the object 
of a great deal of criticism, some of which unfortunately has been well founded 
but much has been due to imperfect acquaintance with the legitimate functions 
of consuls and, therefore, to lack of ability to judge accurately of their short¬ 
comings. It is of interest to note that of recent years the criticism has been 
for the most part confined to our own country, while from the people of other 
nations our consuls have received unstinted praise for their activity and 
efficiency, and our system has been frequently held up abroad as a model after 
which to reorganize some of the older European systems the virtues of which 
it has been the custom of our people to extol. But while it is true that in 
many respects our consuls have shown themselves the equals if not the supe¬ 
riors of the consuls of other nations, the fact remains that our service has 
been uneven in point of efficiency; there has been no satisfactory organization; 
little care has been exercised in the selection of persons for appointment; and 















86 


IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


the salaries and equipment have been far from adequate. Repeated attempts 
to correct these defects have been made during a period dating almost from 
the beginning of the Government, but, with the exception of the improvements 
made in 3856, all these attempts have failed largely because they lacked the 
support of any considerable public sentiment. 

The great majority of our people have been so busily engaged in the develop¬ 
ment of the immense resources of the country that until recently they have 
had little occasion to interest themselves in the character or usefulness of our 
representatives abroad. But the growth of our foreign commerce and the 
closer relations which our people enjoy with the peoples of other nations have 
given rise to a demand for a better consular service in response to which a law 
was passed last year making possible for the first time the organization of 
the consular system in a manner calculated to develop its efficiency and use¬ 
fulness. The importance of that law can be more fully appreciated after a 
brief account of the condition of the Consular Service in the past and of the 
efforts made to improve it. 

By the treaty of amity and commerce concluded with France on the 6th of 
February, 1778, the United States first formally recognized the right of con¬ 
sular representation. That treaty granted mutually the right of each nation 
to appoint in the ports of the other consuls, vice consuls, agents, and commis¬ 
saries, and stipulated that their functions should be regulated by a particular 
agreement to be negotiated later. Unlike France, the United States did not 
at once take advantage of the rights conceded by the treaty, and continued 
to rely upon its political and commercial agents abroad for the performance 
of consular functions in case of need. The necessity for some officer to per¬ 
form these functions had become apparent as early as 1776, when Silas Deane 
and Thomas Morris, who had been sent to France to represent the Colonies 
as political and commercial agents, found that they were not infrequently 
called upon to care for American seamen and vessels. After the arrival in 
Paris of Benjamin Franklin and Arthur Lee, who undertook with Deane the 
negotiations of the treaty of commerce, the purely consular duties, in addi¬ 
tion to the purchase of supplies and the promotion of commerce, became so 
burdensome that they interfered seriously with the satisfactory discharge of 
the more important diplomatic work with which the commissioners were 
charged. Early in 1778 complaints from the commissioners began to reach 
Congress, and in May of that year John Adams, who had been elected a com¬ 
missioner in place of Deane and had arrived in France in April, criticized 
severely the system of combining the business of a public minister with that 
of a commercial agent. In July the commissioners unanimously recommended 
to Congress the appointment of consuls, and the following year Franklin wrote: 

“ We have long since written to Congress advising and requesting that con¬ 
suls might be appointed, and we have expected every day for some months 
intelligence of such appointments.” (3 Wharton: Diplomatic Correspondence, 
p. 35.) 

And again: 

“ Commercial agents * * * and the captains are continually writing for 

my opinion or orders or leave to do this or that, by which much time is lost 
to them and much of mine taken up to little purpose from my ignorance.” (3 
Wharton: Diplomatic Correspondence, p. 191.) 

Other agents wrote to like effect, but Congress does not appear to have made 
any effort to relieve the commissioners of their commercial functions until 
November 4, 1780, when it elected Col. William Palfrey, paymaster general of 
the Continental Armies, the first consul of the United States. Col. Palfrey 
was to reside in France and was to receive a salary of $1,500 a year in lieu 
of the usual commissions for business done on account of the United States. 
His functions were to be similar to those of a consul general, and he was to 
have supervision of all fiscal matters of the United States in France. Unfor¬ 
tunately his ship was lost in a storm, and uncertain of what may have been 
his fate, Congress resolved January 21, 1781, that Thomas Barclay be ap¬ 
pointed a vice consul to exercise “ all the powers and perform the services 
required of William Palfrey.” The vice consul was to be allowed a salary 
of $1,000 a year in lieu of all commissions. 

While by the treaty with France it had been agreed to receive and send con¬ 
suls, there was nothing in any treaty or act of congress outlining their rights 
and duties, and inasmuch as France had promptly sent consuls to American 
ports, the extent of consular authority had become an important question. On 
February 23, 1779, the council of Massachusetts Bay asked Congress to define 


IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


87 


the powers which might be exercised by foreign consuls in American ports, and 
a special committee was appointed to confer with M. Gerard, the French minis¬ 
ter. That officer took advantage of the opportunity to present to Congress an 
outline of a convention based upon the section in relation to consuls in the 
treaty of 1T7S. In an accompanying memorial he set forth the difficulties ex¬ 
perienced by foreign consuls in exercising their functions under the State gov¬ 
ernments which still retained within their control the legislative and adminis¬ 
trative regulation, of foreign commerce, and many of the judicial powers which 
were later vested in the Federal Government. He also made clear the desire of 
France to secure a larger share of the trade of America than it then possessed. 

Little progress was made, however, until July, 1781, when Luzerne, who had 
succeeded Gerard as minister, again brought the subject to the attention of 
Congress. (4 Wharton: Diplomatic Correspondence, p. G04.) In January of 
the following year a plan for a consular convention was adopted and forwarded 
to Franklin in Paris, with instructions granting him much discretion as to the 
form in which it might be agreed upon, but directing him especially to insist 
upon the substance of it. Franklin clearly disregarded the wishes of Congress 
and permitted the French negotiator to modify the plan in several important 
particulars before the convention was finally signed on July 29, 1784. 

Although Congress had changed its opinion as to the desirability of conclud¬ 
ing a consular convention, and had even forwarded instructions to Franklin to 
delay signing, the convention when received was referred to Jay, then minister 
for foreign affairs, for examination. It was found to be objectionable in several 
respects in that it was not only not in accord with the plan agreed upon by 
Congress, but gave to consuls jurisdiction over the vessels of their respective 
nations which would enable them to arrest and return to the home country any 
vessel, master, or seaman, to regulate emigration, and to exercise powers of a 
judicial nature which belonged properly to the courts. Personally Jay was un¬ 
favorable to a consular convention, but in the circumstances he recommended 
the negotiation of a new treaty which, after much delay, was signed on Novem¬ 
ber 14, 178S, by Jefferson, who had succeeded Franklin as minister. The con¬ 
vention was unanimously ratified by the Senate the following year. 

Jefferson returned to the United States and assumed the duties of Secretary 
of State on March 22, 1790, and upon him fell the task of organizing a consular 
system. His work was attended by many practical difficulties. Although Con¬ 
gress had for several years recognized the need of consular officers and pro¬ 
vision for their appointment had been made by the Constitution which had been 
lately adopted, there was no law or regulation which in any way outlined a 
consular system or set forth the nature of consular duties. Even the policy 
of providing salaries for consuls inaugurated when Palfrey and Barclay had 
been elected to serve in France, had been abandoned by the resolution of 1785, 
which, in opposition to the repeated protests of Franklin and Adams, had com¬ 
bined the diplomatic and consular services by conferring the title of consul gen¬ 
eral upon ministers and charges d'affaires. The lack of any consistent policy 
on the part of Congress was shown three months later when a consul was 
named for Canton, China, who was to serve without salary. 

It was in this condition with not fixed method of appointment or compensa¬ 
tion that Jefferson found the consular system when he assumed the direction of 
our foreign relations. The requirements of our commerce and shipping made it 
desirable to increase the number of consuls without waiting for the enactment 
of laws, and in less than three months after Jefferson became Secretary of State 
eight persons were appointed to consular offices, and by the latter part of 
August. 1790. 16 consular officers. 6 consuls, and 10 vice consuls had been ap¬ 
pointed. They were to receive no compensation, but were permitted to engage 
in trade. 

Jefferson undertook to define their duties in his circular of August 26, 1790 
(State Department, Foreign Letters, p. 399), addressed to the consuls and vice 
consuls of the United States. He directed them to report to him every six 
months in detail concerning American vessels that may have entered or cleared 
from their respective ports, to supply him from time to time with political and 
commercial information of interest to the United States, and to report upon 
all military preparations that might take place in their ports, and should war 
appear imminent, to notify American merchants and vessels in order that they 
might be on their guard. * Consuls were authorized to appoint agents to repre¬ 
sent them in the several parts of their districts. 

At the beginning of the next session of Congress the President asked the at¬ 
tention of that body to the consular convention with France, and the necessity 


88 


IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


for legislation to carry its stipulations into effect, and also to tlie importance 
of providing regulations for tlie exercise of consular jurisdiction, whether per¬ 
mitted by treaty or by friendly indulgence. Although a bill for the purpose 
indicated in the President’s address had been pending in Congress, the short 
session passed without anything being done, and it was not until April 14, 1792 
(1 Stat. L., p. 256), that a law was enacted. This law, primarily for the pur¬ 
pose of carrying into effect the consular convention with France, was the first 
legislative attempt to define the powers and duties of consular officers. It 
authorized them to receive protests and declarations of captains, masters, 
crews, passengers, and merchants who might be American citizens; to authen¬ 
ticate copies of documents, to take charge of and settle the estates of Ameri¬ 
can citizens dying abroad and leaving no legal representative, to care for 
American vessels that might become stranded on the coasts of their consulates, 
to receive certain fees for authenticating documents and settling estates, to 
relieve distressed American seamen, and to require masters of American ves¬ 
sels, under penalty of a fine, to convey such seamen to their homes without 
charge, on condition that the seamen should work during the passage, and to 
require the master of a vessel sold in a foreign port to provide for the return 
of the seamen thereon. The act also required consuls to give bond for the 
faithful discharge of their duties and obligations, permitted the payment of 
salaries of $2,000 each to consuls in the Barbary States in case it should be¬ 
come necessary to appoint them, and authorized consuls to exercise such addi¬ 
tional powers as might result from the nature of the office or from any treaty 
or convention under which they might act. 

The duties of consuls in relation to seamen and vessels were enlarged by 
the act of February 28, 1803, and later acts, and the additional duty of admin¬ 
istering oaths to exporters of merchandise upon which an ad valorem duty was 
collected in American ports was added by the act of March 1, 1823, but the act 
of 1792 continued for more than half a century to be the only law of importance 
in relation to consular officers. 

While Congress had failed to make provision for anything in the nature of a 
consular system, Jefferson, before his retirement, had established general rules 
in accordance with which appointments were made and consular business con¬ 
ducted. In harmony with the views long before expressed by Franklin, Adams, 
Jay, and himself, he adopted the principle that none but American citizens 
should represent the United States as consuls. If it was found that no Ameri¬ 
can citizen was available at a port where it was desirable to appoint a consular 
officer, a reputable foreign subject was chosen and made vice consul. As, with 
the exception of consulates in the Barbary States, no salaries were provided 
for these offices, the Americans available for appointment were, as a rule, en¬ 
gaged in mercantile or other pursuits. 

In the appointment of merchant consuls, the United States had merely fol¬ 
lowed the practice of some of the continental nations, and was forced to con¬ 
tend with conditions much less favorable than those with which the older Euro¬ 
pean nations had to deal. By reason of long-continued foreign intercourse, 
many subjects of those nations resided in foreign ports, were well established 
in trade, and were men of influence and responsibility. Commercial interests 
suffered little when confided to their care, and official remuneration bore a less 
important relation to their usefulness as consular representatives. But it was 
different with the United States. The Nation was new and our people had few 
prosperous commercial houses permanently established abroad. The Govern¬ 
ment was therefore unable for the most part to select from among its citizens 
in the various foreign ports persons whose circumstances enabled them to hold 
the office of consul and to discharge the duties in an efficient and satisfactory 
manner for the slender and uncertain emoluments derived from fees. A large 
majority of the persons appointed desired the office of consul for their own per¬ 
sonal benefit. When an American citizen undertook to establish himself abroad 
in some commercial occupation in a port where the United States was not rep¬ 
resented by a consular officer, it was usual for him to seek the prestige, with the 
consequent aid to his business enterprises, which his appointment as consul 
would afford. With the help of influential friends, whose solicitations it was 
not easy to resist, he was generally able to bring about his appointment. It was 
not unnatural that in many cases men so appointed should have regarded the 
office primarily as an aid in building up a profitable business, often at the ex¬ 
pense of other merchants in the port, over whom the office of consul gave them 
undue advantage. Not infrequently their business ventures proved unsuccessful, 
and the emoluments of the consular office far below what they were led to ex- 


IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


89 


pect. Alone in a foreign land amid such difficulties as these it is not strange 
that some of them were forced to resort to means of eking out a livelihood 
which injured and frequently destroyed their official usefulness. 

The growth of the trade and the development of the commercial intercourse 
of the United States with foreign countries were accompanied by new duties 
and responsibilities for consular officers. In its desire to promote the interests 
of shipping. Congress was gradually enlarging consular jurisdiction over ship¬ 
masters and seamen, and in conferring these additional powers, without at the 
same time providing more effective means of exercising control over consuls, 
great opportunity for misconduct was afforded. Moreover, there was no uni¬ 
form rule as to the manner in which these services were to be performed or the 
fees that should be charged for them. Some consuls charged one fee and some 
another, and the fact that the fees belonged to the officers collecting them gave 
encouragement to the growing practice of charging as large a fee as could 
without too great difficulty be collected, and led to endless controversies with 
masters of vessels and citizens in foreign ports. 

The unsatisfactory conditions impressed those in authority with the neces¬ 
sity for a law to place the Consular Service upon a more dignified basis and 
make it reasonably amenable to administrative control. 

The early advocates of reform directed their efforts toward the accomplish¬ 
ment of three things: (1) a revision and extension of the schedule of fees; 
(2) a more precise definition of the duties and powers of consuls; and (3) 
the substitution of salaries for the unsatisfactory and inadequate compensation 
derived from fees. 

As early as 1816 a fruitless effort had been made by the Secretary of State 
to have fixed salaries for at least the more important consuls, but it fell to the 
lot of Mr. Van Buren, Secretary of State in 1830, to begin the series of reform 
movements which were to continue for so many years and finally result in the 
enactment of the general law of 1S56. On February 10, 1830 (S. Kept. No. 
57, 21st Cong., 2d sess.), and again the following year he called attention of the 
Senate Committee on Commerce to the necessity of at least defining the fees 
to be collected by consuls. He described existing practices, which, he said, 
produced great inconvenience and embarrassment to consuls, led to unpleasant 
collisions between them and their fellow citizens, and to endless criminations 
and recriminations on both sides, which tended to injure the national character 
of the United States in the estimation of foreigners and to bring the consular 
system into disrepute. Before preparing his recommendations Mr. Van Buren 
had obtained reports from many of the consuls, and with his communication 
of February 1, 1831 (S. Rept. No. 57, 21st Cong., 2d sess.), he transmitted a 
report from Daniel Strobel, then consul at Bordeaux, who compared the Ameri¬ 
can system with the systems adopted by foreign nations, and pointed out that 
Great Britain, France, Spain, Portugal, and Russia, at that time the principal 
commercial nations, had succeeded in greatly improving their consular systems 
by reducing the number of fees, paying their consuls by fixed salaries, and 
prohibiting them from engaging in trade. 

At the beginning of the next session of Congress, President Jackson called 
the particular attention of that body to the desirability of speedily revising 
all the laws relating to consuls, and announced his purpose of communicating 
at a later date a full report upon the subject from the Secretary of State. 
(Richardson: Messages and State Papers, vol. ii, p. 554.) Meanwhile, Mr. Van 
Buren had been succeeded by Edward Livingston, and upon him devolved the 
task of preparing some definite plan. How well he did the work was appre¬ 
ciated when on March 2, 1833, President Jackson laid his report before Con¬ 
gress. (S. Doc., No. 83, 22d Cong., 2d sess.) It was by far the ablest argu¬ 
ment made by anyone up to that time in favor of a better organized and more 
adequately paid consular system, and it formed the basis of nearly all the 
important changes which were afterwards proposed. In regard to the existing 
system Mr. Livingston said: 

* “ Our consuls, with very few exceptions, are commission merchants, anxious, 
like all other merchants, to increase their business and obtain consignments. 
In many, perhaps the greater number of cases, the place is sought for chiefly 
for the advantage and the influence it will give to extend the commercial affairs 
of the officer. Can it be believed that this official influence will always be 
properly exercised? When it is, will not contrary suspicions be entertained? 
This must create jealousy, detraction, and all the arts that rival ship will ex¬ 
ercise and provoke, amidst which the dignity of the public officer is degraded 
and his influence with the foreign functionaries lost. The consul at least, there- 


90 


IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


fore, if not the vice consul, ought to he salaried officers. They will never, then, 
by their countrymen, be suspected of acting toward them as their commercial 
interest, not as their duty, requires; and their complaints in behalf of their 
fellow citizens will be attended to, because they will not be liable to the sus¬ 
picion of advocating their own interest: consular offices would no longer be held 
in countinghouses, nor the consul himself called from defending the case of an 
American citizen to sell a barrel of sugar or to dispatch the settlement of an 
account.” 

He therefore proposed to have 30 consuls who should receive salaries of 
$2,000 each, and 126 vice consuls and commercial agents who should receive 
salaries averaging $1,000 each. According to his estimate the entire salary 
list would not amount to more than $186,000. 

Mr. Livingston urged further that the rights, privileges, and duties of con¬ 
suls should be more precisely defined, and himself prepared a pamphlet of in¬ 
structions as far as could be done without legislation for the guidance of 
consuls in the performance of their duties. He was strongly opposed to the 
collection of fees by consuls as a means of defraying the expenses of the system, 
and held that it was not only an unjust tax upon commerce, which it was im-* 
portant to relieve of unnecessary burdens, but that it singled out consular 
officers as a class distinct from other public officers whose entire compensation 
was provided from the Treasury. 

Convincing as these arguments were that some improvement in the consular 
system should be made, they failed to impress Congress sufficiently to induce 
it to act. A similar fate befell the plans submitted to that body in 1838 (H. 
Ex. Doc. No. 467, 25th Cong., 2d sess.), and 1844 (II. Kept. No. 166, 2Sth Cong., 
1st sess.), although in the latter year a bill was introduced by Senator Semple, 
but was indefinitely postponed. (Speech of Hon. J. W. Patterson, May 11, 
1864, Pamphlets, United States Consular Service, vol. iii, Department of State 
Library.) That these continued efforts in the direction of reform were having 
some effect, however, was apparent from the action of a select committee of 
the House of Representatives in 1S46 (II. Kept. No. 714, 29th Cong., 1st sess.), 
reporting a bill somewhat along the lines advocated by Secretary Livingston, 
with the addition of a provision designed to secure reasonable permanency of 
tenure. It was evident that the committee had inquired carefully and intel¬ 
ligently into the existing consular system and had become convinced that 
radical changes were required to make it adequate to the needs of the rapidly 
increasing commerce. 

The Secretary of State, Mr. Buchanan, who was requested by the committee 
to report upon the bill, reviewed the whole subject in detail and strongly rec¬ 
ommended that Congress should specify the number and compensation of con¬ 
suls and vice consuls, and should create a new grade of consuls general to be 
used only where foreign Governments were represented by officers of that 
grade. He also urged the enactment of a general law which should revise the 
scattered statutes relating to consuls, define clearly their duties and powers, 
and prescribe the fees to be collected by them. His recommendations were 
not acted upon, however, and nine years elapsed before any further effort was 
made. 

In 1854 a bill to remodel the Diplomatic as well as the Consular Service 
was prepared and presented to the House of Representatives by Mr. Perkins, 
of Louisiana (H. Rept. No. 348, 33d Cong., 1st sess.), who had made a careful 
study of the subject and whose able advocacy of the bill in Congress was in¬ 
strumental in securing the adoption of the measure by a majority of the Mem¬ 
bers of that body. This measure went much further than any one of the 
previous plans, and it embodied the essential features of all of them. 

When it became a law on March 1, 1855, and was submitted to the Attorney 
General for interpretation it was found to contain so many defects (8 Op. 
Attorneys General, pp. 189, 243), that the following year Congress was induced 
to pass a similar law free from these objectionable features, entitled “An act 
to regulate the diplomatic and consular systems.” (Act of Aug. IS, 1856, 11 
Stat. L., p. 64.) The main purpose of this law was to gather into one general 
scheme the large number of unrelated and practically independent offices, clas¬ 
sify them according to a definite plan, prescribe rules and regulations under 
which they should be conducted, and provide more certain and adequate com¬ 
pensation. The more important posts were divided into two classes, and the 
consuls in these classes were to receive salaries in lieu of all commissions and 
fees for services rendered by them. The officers in the first class, who were to 
receive salaries of from $1,500 to $7,500, were prohibited from engaging in any 


IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


91 


business, while those in the second clnss, who were to receive salaries of from 
$500 to $1,000, were permitted to engage in business. All the officers not 
enumerated in the two classes described were to be compensated as before by 
the fees they might collect for their official services. Other sections of the act 
brought together the scattered statutes defining the duties of consuls, revised 
and supplemented them and conferred full authority upon the President to 
prescribe regulations which should have the force of law for the guidance of 
consuls in the performance of their duties. It was at last made possible to 
bring about some reasonable degree of accountability on the part of consuls 
in respect not only to the income of their offices, but to their conduct, reports, 
absences, and miscellaneous duties. 

It was the intention of the framers of the act to make it the beginning of a 
permanent Consular Service to be composed of men of experience who had 
grown up in the work. To this end the act authorized the President to appoint 
25 consular pupils at salaries not to exceed $1,000 a year. These officers were 
to be examined before their appointment, and were to be assigned to consulates 
in the discretion of the President. At the next session, however, Congress not 
only refused to appropriate the amount necessary for their salaries, but re¬ 
pealed the section authorizing their appointment. Through persistent effort 
on the part of the President and friends of reform in Congress, in 1S64 the pro¬ 
vision was restored in part by creating a corps of 13 consular clerks, with 
salaries of $1,000 a year, who were to hold office during good behavior and 
could not be removed except for cause stated in writing and submitted to 
Congress. (Act of June 20, 1S64, 13 Stat. L., p. 139.) A later act gave consular 
clerks $1,200 a year after five years of service. (Act of June 11, 1874, IS Stat. 
L., p. 70.) But the original purpose of creating this corps of officers failed 
because the lack of permanency of tenure in the higher offices of the service 
made consular clerks unwilling to accept promotion. 

A further effort to insure the appointment of capable men as consuls was 
made in 1866, when an order was promulgated requiring all applicants for con¬ 
sulships to present themselves for examination before a board consisting of the 
Second Assistant Secretary of State, the examiner of claims, and the officer in 
charge of the consular division. Only one examination appears to have been 
held under this order, and of the nine candidates examined, two were found not 
to be qualified, one because lacking in knowledge of foreign languages, and 
the other because of general incompetency. The next step was the promulgation 
of the Executive order of April 16, 1872, which was soon superceded by that of 
March 14, 1873. These orders were issued under the civil-service act of March 
3, 1871, and provided that vacancies in any grade of consulates or clerkships 
in the Department of State might be filled either by transfer from some other 
grade in the clerical, Consular, or Diplomatic Service under that department; by 
the appointment of persons who had previously served satisfactorily under the 
Department of State; or by the appointment of persons who had produced sat¬ 
isfactory references as to character, responsibility, and capacity, and who had, 
on examination, been found to possess the necessary qualifications. The board 
of examiners was composed of three officers of the Department of State, and a 
number of persons were examined during the years 1873 and 1874. It is said 
that the system worked well, and resulted in the improvement of the Consular 
Service; but it was given up contemporaneously with the suspension of the 
work of the Civil Service Commission by the refusal of Congress to make the 
necessary appropriations for the support of that body. 

Irregularities which had been revealed from time to time and the lack of any 
method of determining the fitness of candidates for appointment and of any per¬ 
manency of tenure led to a series of attempts to improve the organization of 
the service and remove it from the influence of politics. As early as 1868 a 
bill was prepared by Representative Patterson to grant salaries to all offices 
which were necessary and to abolish all others; to grade the service; to regu¬ 
late the appointments by competitive examinations and encourage efficiency by 
promoting consuls in the lower grades to vacancies in the higher ones. (S. Rep. 
No. 154, 40th Cong., 2d sess.) A similar bill passed the Senate in March, 1872 
(H. Misc. Doc. No. 61, 42d Cong., 3d sess.), but got no further, and the subject 
appears to have been dropped until 1884, when President Arthur and Mr. Fre- 
linghuysen, then Secretary of State, strongly urged Congress to provide suit¬ 
able salaries for all consuls; to require all fees of whatsover description to be 
paid into the Treasury; to establish a rigorous system of inspection; and to 
abolish the office of consular agent and substitute in its stead that of salaried 
vice consul, in accordance with the custom of foreign nations. (El. Ex. Doc. 


92 


IMPROVEMENT OE THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


No. 121, 48tli Cong., 1st sess.; H. Ex. Doc. No. 146, 4Stli Cong., 1st sess.) 
Again in 1886 a bill was urged in which was included provision for a graded 
service with promotion based upon efficiency. (H. Doc. No. 121, 48th Cong., 
1st sess.) Congress manifested no interest in the subject, however, and no 
further effort was made until 1895. In that year Frangois S. Jones, a clerk 
in the Department of State, who had given some attention to the study of for¬ 
eign consular systems, particularly that of France, drafted a bill which was 
introduced in the Senate by Senator Morgan, of Alabama, and reported favor¬ 
ably from the Committee on Foreign Affairs. (S. Rep. No. 8S6, 53d Cong., 3d 
sess.) The bill proposed to remodel the Diplomatic as well as the Consular 
Service, and followed in principle the other bills which had been proposed since 
1856. While it received no special attention from Congress, it served to direct 
attention to the subject and revive the efforts that had been made in the direc¬ 
tion of improvement. 

Although at the beginning of his second administration President Cleveland 
had made an unusual number of changes in the personnel of the Consular Serv¬ 
ice, toward the end of that administration, in the autumn following the failure 
of the Jones-Morgan bill, he undertook to regulate, in part at least, the selection 
of candidates for consular appointments by ordering, on September 20, 1895, 
that any vacancy in a consulate with compensation of over $1,000 and not more 
than $2,500 should be filled in one of the following w r ays: 

(a) By the transfer of some one in the service of the Department of State 
whose duties had been of a character to qualify him for consular work. 

(&) By the appointment of a person who had previously served in a satisfae- 
. tory manner in the Department of State. 

(c) By the appointment of a person who had furnished evidence of charac¬ 
ter, had then been selected by the President for examination and had been 
found to be qualified. 

The examination, based upon this order, was both oral and written. The 
written examination was entirely technical and covered the principal portions 
of the consular regulations applicable to the duties of the post to which the 
candidate desired to be appointed. The oral examination, which was steno- 
graphically reported, was broader and was designed to bring out the personal 
fitness and qualifications of the candidate. It included a test of the candidate’s 
ability to speak the language of the country in which his prospective post was 
situated or the French language. For the time being the examination proved to 
be a fairly satisfactory test of the qualifications of the candidates and the board 
of examiners did their work thoroughly and conscientiously. Of the 13 candi¬ 
dates examined before the 4tll of March, 1896, 8 passed and 5 were rejected. 
(Foster: Practice of Diplomacy, p. 240.) 

But the end of the administration was too near to permit the new system to 
have a fair trial in the hands of those who were responsible for it. Moreover, 
President Cleveland’s removal at the beginning of his term of the majority of 
the consuls general, consuls, and commercial agents and the appointment in 
their places of persons who had contributed to the success of the party 
weakened the effect of the order and gave reasonable excuse for a similar 
course on the part of his successor. President McKinley left the order un¬ 
changed, but any impression of permanency of tenure was soon removed by 
the prompt recall of many of the most capable consuls and the appointment in 
their places of friends of the administration. Of the 272 consuls then in office 
238 were recalled and new and untried men put in their places. (Century 
Magazine, vol. 35, 1898-99, p. 604.) The examination which had been of some 
real value under the preceding President was too tedious a process in view of 
the large number of candidates that came within its scope. Gradually the 
standard was lowered; the oral and most important part of the examination 
was at first conducted in a perfunctory manner and later discontinued alto¬ 
gether ; the written test was at last rendered so simple that it amounted merely 
to a test of ability to memorize. It has been said that of 112 candidates exam¬ 
ined at the beginning of the administration of President McKinley only one 
was rejected. (Century Magazine, vol. 35, 1898-99, p. 604.) 

The strong protests made at the time by the press of both of the leading 
political parties against the large number of removals were due in a measure 
to a better appreciation on the part of the public of the nature of the duties 
which consuls were called upon to perform and a clearer understanding of the 
vital importance of our commercial and other interests abroad of greater 
permanency of tenure and of a change in the method of selecting candidates 
for appointment. In the early years of our history the duties of our consuls 


IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


93 


were very largely confined to tlie care and protection of our merchant marine. 
But as the import trade increased, it became desirable more effectually to 
safeguard the customs revenues and consuls were directed to require foreign 
exporters to the United States to make oath before them to the value of the 
merchandise whenever it was subject to an ad valorem duty at the American 
port of entry. Gradually this function had been extended until every invoice 
of imported merchandise valued at more than $100 was required to bear a 
certificate of an American consul to the correctness of the market value of 
the merchandise. The practical utility of the certification of invoices was 
shown during the early part of President McKinley’s administration. A 
consul general in Europe having become convinced that the merchandise 
exported from his district was being invoiced below its true market value, 
began a careful expert investigation for the purpose of ascertaining the cost 
of manufacture and actual selling price, with the result that upon the strength 
of information supplied to the customs officers the revenues from merchandise 
exported from his district alone were increased approximately $800,000 a 
year. (II. Rep. No. 1313, 57th Cong., 1st sess.) Consuls had also become 
guardians of the health of our seaport cities by virtue of the law which 
required vessels bound for the United States to obtain consular bills of health 
which made it possible for the quarantine officers at our ports to know the 
exact sanitary and health conditions prevailing at foreign ports at which the 
vessels had touched and the condition of the vessels and their crews and 
cargoes at the time of their departure for the United States. Though less 
frequently than at the time when the United States possessed a large merchant 
marine, consuls still exercised important functions in quelling mutinies and 
returning accused sailors for trial in this country; acting as protectors of 
American seamen in their discharge abroad and in the collection of wages 
due them, maintaining them when ill or destitute and under some conditions 
affording them transportation home. The receiving of protests and declara¬ 
tions, one of the first duties imposed upon consuls by law, and the general 
powers of notaries public, which had been conferred upon them brought them 
into close contact with many of our citizens. The protection of American 
citizens abroad had always constituted one of the most important duties of 
consular officers and one of the most severe tests of their efficiency. It is 
the duty of a consul to endeavor upon all occasions to maintain and promote 
all the rightful interests of his countrymen; to protect them in all the 
privileges provided for by the treaty or conceded by usage; and to aid them 
before the local authorities of the foreign country in all cases in which they 
may be injured or oppressed. But anything less than an early release of 
an offending citizen from a foreign prison frequently calls forth complaint 
against the consul, and these complaints, although usually unjust, contributed 
much to the development of a sentiment in favor of reform. More important, 
however, was the dissatisfaction with the administration of justice by con¬ 
sular officers in so-called un-Christian countries. Our consuls were empow¬ 
ered by the early treaties with the Barbary States to settle all disputes be¬ 
tween their countrymen and to be present at the trial in the local courts of 
cases to which Americans and subjects of the Barbary States were parties. 
These powers were somewhat enlarged in respect to American citizens in 
Turkey by the treaty of 1830 with the Ottoman Porte. The treaty of 1844 
with China gave to American consuls in that country jurisdiction over all 
cases between citizens of the United States, and over all cases in which Ameri¬ 
cans were defendants. This jurisdiction was further enlarged by the treaty 
of 1880 with China which secured to our consuls the right to be present at 
the trials of cases in the Chinese courts to which American citizens might 
be parties. The law of 1848 as amended by later statutes (act of June 22, 
1860, 12 Stat. L., p. 22; act of July 3, 1870, 16 Stat. L., p. 184; act of Mar. 23, 
1874, 18 Stat. L., p. 23) defined the manner in which cases should be tried, and 
gave to consuls jurisdiction over all cases, civil and criminal, including capital 
offenses. In civil cases in which the matter in dispute was above $500 and 
below $2,500 an appeal could be taken from the consul to the American min¬ 
ister in China, and cases involving more than $2,500 could be appealed to 
the circuit court of California when the defendant held the decision erroneous 
in point of law. Criminal cases could be appealed to the minister and under 
certain conditions from him to the circuit court of California. These acts 
were made applicable to Turkey and other countries in which the United 
States exercised extraterritorial jurisdiction so far as might be permitted by 


94 


IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


our treaties. The importance of the intelligent and rightful discharge of these 
duties, involving the lives and civil rights of American citizens, is apparent. 
Unfortunately, many of our consuls who were called upon to exercise judicial 
functions had not been trained in the law, and several of them so discharged 
these duties as to bring upon themselves severe criticism. 

The most potent factor in the movement of reform, however, was the realiza¬ 
tion that consuls could be instrumental in aiding materially in the development 
of our export trade. Prior to 1856 there had been published at long intervals 
compilations of the reports of consuls upon commercial subjects. The law of 
1856 authorized the annual publication of consular reports, but in 1880 the 
Secretary of State, Mr. Evarts, inaugurated a monthly publication entitled 
Consular Reports. (Hunt: The Department of State, p. 143.) To satisfy the 
public demand for information upon special subjects connected with trade this 
was soon followed by another volume issued from time to time under the title 
of Special Consular Reports. As the public interest in the commercial informa¬ 
tion furnished by consuls continued to increase, a plan was adopted, largely as 
an experiment, of publishing daily all consular reports of current value under 
the title of Advance Sheets of Consular Reports. The first issue appeared 
January 1, 1S9S. The extracts from it which were printed in the daily news¬ 
papers did more, perhaps, than anything else to impress the public, and the 
business man in particular, with the fact that by supplying timely information 
consuls could perform a service of the utmost importance to our manufacturing 
and other interests and greatly aid in the sale of our products abroad. This 
afforded a practical basis upon which to demand a reorganization of the Con¬ 
sular .Sendee, and with a better understanding of the other duties of consuls 
and a clearer appreciation of the manner in which they should be discharged, 
public sentiment in support of an efficient consular system rapidly developed. 

The commercial organizations over the country began to manifest an interest 
in the subject. The national board of trade appointed a regular committee on 
consular reform. The Cleveland (Ohio) Chamber of Commerce, represented by 
Mr. Harry A. Garfield, brought about an organization of the chambers of com¬ 
merce and boards of trade in the principal cities of the country. (S. Rept. No. 
499, 57tli Cong., 1st sess.) Later the National Business League of Chicago 
and the New York Board of Trade and Transportation undertook a system¬ 
atic campaign on even broader lines. The bills so far presented had failed 
to meet with the entire approval of the commercial organizations, and besides 
there was lack of harmony among friends of the movement in both Houses of 
Congress. With a view of concentrating the efforts upon one measure upon 
which all could agree, and which should embody all the essential principles in 
the most simple and practical form, a bill was drafted by Gaillard Hunt, nov 
Chief of the Bureau of Citizenship of the Department of State, which was ac¬ 
ceptable to the commercial organizations and subsequently to the men in the 
Senate and House of Representatives who were in favor of reform. The bill 
was first introduced in the Senate by Senator Lodge, of Massachusetts, and later 
in the House of Representatives by Mr. Adams, of Pennsylvania. 

No action was taken except to report it favorably in each House, but the bill 
continued to be presented anew at each session of Congress. 

Fortunately for the success of consular reform Elihu Root became Secretary 
of State in the summer of 1905, and one of the first subjects to wl^ich he directed 
his attention was the improvement of the Consular Service.- In collaboration 
with Senator Lodge, he drafted a bill following the general lines of those which 
has preceded it, but in addition providing for five inspectors of consulates, pro¬ 
hibiting consuls from engaging in business and from practicing law for compen¬ 
sation, and prohibiting the employment in consular offices of any but American 
citizens in clerical positions the annual salaries of which were $1,000 or more. 
(S. Rept. No. 112, 59th Cong., 1st sess.) One of the vital features of this bill 
was a provision for the appointment of candidates to the two lowest grades after 
having passed an examination to test their fitness, and the filling of vacancies in 
the higher grades by the promotion of officers from the lower grades of the 
service. This and other important provisions in the bill were not acceptable to 
the Senate, however, and were stricken out in the Committee on Foreign Rela¬ 
tions. It had been desired also to obtain the consent of the Senate to the 
appointment of consuls to grades of the service without respect to place in order 
that they might be assignable in the discretion of the President and thus secure 
greater flexibility of administration; but this provision was also disapproved, so 
that when finally passed by Congress the bill classified the service by providing 


IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


95 


for 310 consulates general and consulates at as many foreign ports; it arranged 
these offices in 16 classes with salaries of from $2,000 to $12,000 each; it created 
five inspectors of consulates; prohibited the appointment of foreigners to clerk¬ 
ships in consulates with annual salaries of $1,000 or more; prohibited consuls 
from engaging in business or practicing law or being interested in the fees of 
any lawyer; required the performance of notarial services which had theretofore 
been optional; required all fees to be paid into the Treasury; made the salary 
provided by law the sole compensation of an officer; and provided for the use 
of adhesive fee stamps as a check against failure to account for fees that might 
be collected. (II. Kept. No. 2281, 59th Cong., 1st sess.) 

Although this act was almost wholly administrative in character, in no sense 
touched the existing system of appointments and made no provision in regard 
to the tenure of office, it specifically abolished the personal-fee system and pro¬ 
vided more liberal salaries, and made it possible to organize the service upon 
a plan designed to promote efficiency. Before the act became effective, on the 
30th of June, 1906, a large number of promotions had been made on the basis 
of an efficiency record established in the Department of State by Secretary Root. 
These promotions indicated a determination on the part of the President and the 
Secretary of State to adopt regulations in harmony with those provisions of the 
bill which had failed to receive the approval of Congress. Then five of the most 
experienced officers were called home to consult with the Chief of the Con¬ 
sular Bureau and assist in outlining the regulations made necessary by the 
new act. The moral effect of this step was alone sufficient to justify this de¬ 
parture from the traditional policy of the Department of State. As a result of 
the deliberations of these officers regulations were prepared for the newly 
created inspection force, outlining the scope of their investigations and the man¬ 
ner in which they were to he conducted; suggestions were made for the exami¬ 
nation of candidates for admission to the service, and many improvements in 
the general regulations were agreed upon. 

Having failed to induce Congress to enact a law regulatiug the selection of 
persons for appointment to the Consular Service, President Roosevelt, upon the 
advice of Secretary Root and in the exercise of the constitutional powers of his 
office and the power conferred upon him by statute, issued an order on June 27, 
1906, which, with the regulations of the board of examiners created by that 
order, inaugurated a system governing appointments and promotions, which is 
substantially as follows: 

1. A board of examiners, consisting of the Third Assistant Secretary of State, 
the Chief Clerk of the Department of State, and the Chief Examiner of the 
Civil Service Commission, whose duty it is to formulate rules and hold exami¬ 
nations of candidates for admission to the Consular Service. 

2. The examination is open only to persons between the ages of 21 and 50 
who are American citizens of good moral character and habits, physically and 
mentally qualified for the proper performance of consular work, and who have 
been especially designated by the President for appointment, subject to examina¬ 
tion. The age limit in the examination for student interpreter is from 19 to 26, 
inclusive, and the candidate must be unmarried. 

3. The examination is both written and oral, each part counting equally and 
requiring an average on both of at least 80 in order to pass. The subjects 
embraced in the written examination are: One modern language other than 
English; the natural, industrial, and commercial resources and commerce of the 
United States, with special reference to the possibilities of increasing and ex¬ 
tending the foreign trade of the United States; political economy; the elements 
of international, commercial, and maritime law; American history, government, 
and institutions; political and commercial geography; arithmetic; the history 
since 1850 of Europe, Latin America, and the Far East, with particular atten¬ 
tion to political, commercial, and economic tendencies. r Fo become eligible for 
appointment as consul in a country in which the United States exercises extra 
territorial jurisdiction a supplementary examination in the common law, the 
rules of evidence, and the trial of civil criminal cases is required. The oral 
examination is designed to determine the candidate’s character, business ability, 
alertness, general contemporary information, and natural fitness for the service, 
including moral, mental, and physical qualifications, character, address, and 
general education, and good command of the English language. 

4. Candidates who successfully pass the examination may be appointed only 
to the eighth or ninth grade of consuls, or as vice or deputy consuls, consular 
clerks, or student interpreters. 


96 


IMPROVEMENT OE THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


5. Persons serving in the Department of State, with annual salaries of $2,000 
or more, may be promoted to any grade of the Consular Service above the 
eighth grade. 

6. Vacancies in offices above the eighth grade are to be filled by promo; ion 
from the lower grades of the service. 

7. Vacancies in classes eight and nine are to be filled (a) by the promotion 
of consular clerks, vice consuls, deputy consuls, consular agents, and student 
interpreters, who shall have been appointed upon examination; or (b) by new 
appointments of candidates who have passed a satisfactory examination. 

8. No promotion is to be made except for efficiency as shown by she ability 
of the officer, his promptness, diligence, and general conduct and fitness. 

0. The political affiliations of candidates are not to be considered, and, other 
things being equal, appointmen s are to be so made as to secure proportional 
representation of all the States and Territories in the Consular Service. 

It may be explained that the examination is not compe itive, but the high 
standard fixed by the President’s order, and the number and character of the 
subjects which the examination is required to cover afford ample assurance 
that no one not well qualified is likely to be appointed consul. 

President Roosevelt’s order marks the beginning of a new era in our foreign 
service, and if enforced strictly will in time give the United States a consular 
system second to none in all the world. The establishment by Secretary Root 
of an efficiency record upon which a consul must depend for advancement or 
even retention has already had a s imulating effect upon the entire service. 
It is no longer sufficient that a consul should be able merely to exhibit a clean 
record free from complaints or criticisms. He must now produce positive re¬ 
sults of more than average character if he would be rated relatively high in 
the scale of efficiency. He may no longer rest content in the knowledge that his 
friends at home will aid him in a desire to reach higher rank in his chosen 
field of endeavor. The only friend of real service to him now is a record of 
efficient and faithful performance of duly. 

Through the instrumentality of the system of inspection, the Department of 
State, for the first time in its history, will soon be in possession of detailed re¬ 
ports upon every American consular office in the world. The practical value 
of these reports to the officers in charge of the administration of consular 
affairs at home can scarcely be overestima.ed. For years, with the exception 
of partial inspections authorized by Congress at long intervals, there have been 
no means of ascertaining the condition of the great majority of offices except 
through statements of the officers themselves or of American travelers who 
have had occasion to visit them. There is no doubt that the inspection will 
suggest many improvements that may be made, and that it will be followed 
by wiser and more intelligent administration, better discipline, and more 
practical results. 

It is clear that substantial progress in the improvement of our Consular 
Service has been made, but whether the results already accomplished are to be 
permanent is by no means certain. So long as the present administration 
continues in power the President’s order will be enforced, but there is always 
danger that a succeeding administration may be less favorable to a system 
which bases appointments upon fitness regardless of other considerations, and 
that the work of the past year may go for naught. It is for this reason that 
those who are especially interested in an efficient and representative consular 
force are already engaged in furthering a movement to the end that Congress 
may be induced to embody the Executive order in a law, or at least to formally 
approve the principles of the order by joint resolution. In one of these courses 
appears to lie the only hope at present of insuring the permanency of the exist¬ 
ing system of appointments and the development of a body of consular officers 
qualified by training and experience to deal with the delicate and difficult 
problems of our foreign commerce and to protect the increasing personal and 
financial interests of our citizens in foreign lands. 

IN CONCLUSION. 

Our foreign trade and commerce is increasing. The value in this 
connection of the foreign service is now recognized. It has Teen 
to a large extent an efficient nonpartisan instrument for the expan- 


IMPROVEMENT OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 


97 


sion of American commerce and the extension of American enter¬ 
prise, securing for American commercial interests equal trade op¬ 
portunity with the peoples of other countries. It is through its 
agency that the entire business of the Government in its relations 
with other Governments is conducted. It should be maintained to 
the highest degree of efficiency and, in so far as possible, lifted com¬ 
pletely out of the slough of partisan politics and placed where it be¬ 
longs, upon the high, impregnable ground of the merit system where 
talent, ability, competency, fitness, and experience shali be the sole 
qualifications for appointment and promotion. 

The foreign service comes home to every business man in the coun¬ 
try who is doing any foreign trade at all, and if there is a single 
agency of Government to-day of which the people of the United 
States are proud it is the foreign service, with the great improve¬ 
ment that has been made in its consular branch, which has become 
so much improved in recent years that the Emperor of Germany 
not long ago in a public speech said that the consular system of 
the United States was the best in the world. 

W e are of the opinion that this bill will increase our foreign trade 
and promote the efficiency of the public service, and to that end Con¬ 
gress should do everything in its power to increase the one and to 
improve the personnel and the efficiency of the other. 

o 

H. Kept. 840, 62-2-7 




LB 0 ’12 
















































































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